In this episode, Husch Blackwell's Meg Pekarske talks with Michael McHale who is President and CEO of TRU Community Care. Michael is a friend, colleague and hospice innovator. As a former board member of the National Hospice...more
Consistent with NHPCO’s recent regulatory guidance, you may have received an unexpected payment on or about Friday, April 10th via Optum Bank with “HHSPAYMENT” as the payment description. That payment was from the Public...more
On Friday, April 10, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services began disbursing $30 billion in relief funds directly to Medicare providers, including hospices. The use of those funds, however, is subject to a number of...more
In today’s COVID-19 edition of the Hospice Labor and Employment Trends series, Husch Blackwell's Meg Pekarske talks with colleague Tom O’Day about the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). As one of Husch...more
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) confirmed that hospice physicians and nurse practitioners who serve as a patient’s attending physician (“NPs”) can use telehealth to perform medically necessary visits...more
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) goes into effect today, April 1, 2020, and applies to leave taken between April 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020. The FFCRA expands certain medical leave rights previously...more
In today’s episode, Husch Blackwell's Hospice team shares insights on operationalizing recent government guidance for hospices facing coronavirus obstacles. We discuss the role of virtual visits, how to use telehealth and the...more
The Husch Blackwell Hospice Team has been receiving reports from hospices throughout the country that nursing facilities are prohibiting hospice workers from entering the facility to provide essential end-of-life care to...more
These are extraordinary times. COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, has disrupted the life of every American and every business. Hospices are no exception. In fact, they are on the frontlines, responsible for providing care to...more
In this episode, Husch Blackwell's Meg Pekarske and Bryan Nowicki discuss the latest round of audits from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) which focus on Durable Medical Equipment (DME), supplies and their “relatedness”...more
In this episode, Meg shares a lively discussion with colleague Jon Anderson on what should be front of mind for hospices in 2020 from a labor and employment perspective. Jon shares insights on what the new developments in...more
In this episode, the hospice team shares insights on how to manage and succeed in responding to additional documentation requests (“ADR”) stemming from Targeted Probe and Educate (“TPEs”) projects. We discuss the unique...more