Hospices that have gone through audits are familiar with certain recurring reasons why auditors deny claims. Two common reasons are the lack of support for a six-month prognosis and the insufficiency of the physician...more
Hospices that have been audited have to decide how to address any alleged overpayment identified by the auditor, whether through a voluntary repayment, recoupment, or applying for an extended repayment schedule. CMS recently...more
In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske is joined by long-time hospice friend and industry guru Greg Grabowski. They turned the microphone on their usually private (but always lively) discussions on what’s going on in...more
A strong and engaged Chief Medical Officer (CMO) may be a hospice CEO’s most important asset. But what does a successful CEO/CMO relationship look like and how must it evolve to meet today’s challenges? In this episode we get...more
Compliance gets a dust off with the new General Compliance Program Guidance released by the federal Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in November 2023. While there is a lot to digest, Husch Blackwell’s Josi Wergin and...more
The owner of a Louisiana hospice was indicted and then convicted of healthcare fraud. How did that happen? In this episode of Hospice Insights: The Law and Beyond, Husch Blackwell's Meg Pekarske and Jonathan Porter talk about...more
The hospice industry saw many regulatory changes in 2023. In this episode of Hospice Insights: The Law and Beyond, Husch Blackwell's Meg Pekarske, Andrew Brenton, and Adam Royal discuss some of the main regulatory changes...more
Hospices have been the target of increased government scrutiny in 2023, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is planning to take further aim in 2024 through surveys. Join Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske,...more
Hospices are increasingly looking to buy, consolidate, or merge to achieve administrative efficiencies and expand operations for growth. A common approach among nonprofit hospices is to combine through a member substitution....more
Recently, there has been an uptick in contractor participation at the ALJ stage of hospice audit appeals. This development poses unique challenges and new advocacy opportunities for providers. In this episode, Husch...more
The hospice physician plays an enormously critical role in hospice operations, from certifying patients as terminally ill to being the hospice’s representative in the community. Just as the physician’s role is critical, so...more
Hospices are increasingly looking to buy, consolidate or merge to achieve administrative efficiencies and expand growth opportunities. Transactions between hospices present unique regulatory challenges that shape corporate...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently started mailing letters inviting physicians to one-on-one training sessions about the Medicare hospice benefit. In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske,...more
Today, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske has the great pleasure to be joined by two of the founders of the Institute for Story, Jamey Espina and Dr. Berry, who is also a best-selling author and top change management speaker,...more
In Part II of our two-part series on ALJ hearings, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske unpacks strategies for winning with colleagues Bryan Nowicki, Emily Solum and Erin Burns. They explore what it means to be well-prepared and...more
In this two-part series, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske unpacks strategies for winning at ALJ hearings with colleagues Bryan Nowicki, Emily Solum and Erin Burns. They explore what it means to be well-prepared and who should...more
In today’s episode of Hospice Insights, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske shares her recent wide-ranging conversation with Dr. Kathleen Benton of Hospice Savannah, where they explore how good business planning starts and ends...more
After waiting years, hospices are getting their “day in court.” How are hospices faring? In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske is joined by colleagues Bryan Nowicki and Emily Park, who share insights on what it...more
In today's episode of Hospice Insights: The Law & Beyond, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske is joined by colleagues Bryan Nowicki and Erin Burns to discuss the recent denial of physician visits. Over the last several months, a...more
In this first episode of the Husch Blackwell Hospice Team’s 3-part “Hospice and the False Claims Act” series, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske, Bryan Nowicki, Jody Rudman and Brian Flood discuss how the False Claims Act (FCA)...more
Hospice Audits Series
Audits are a fact of life for hospices—it’s not a matter of “if” a hospice will be audited, but “when.” The alphabet soup of audits has expanded, from UPICs to SMRCs, CPIs, TPEs and more. With the...more
The State of the Hospice Market
Join Husch Blackwell's Meg Pekarske as she talks with Mark Kulik, Managing Director at the Braff Group, who shares his insights on growth and change in the hospice industry and the forces at...more
In today’s conversation Husch Blackwell's Meg Pekarske sits down with William Finn, the CEO of Hospice of the Western Reserve, where they share stories of change, innovation and opportunity in hospice and palliative care....more
The AseraCare court decision benefited hospices and physicians, particularly by recognizing the uncertainty surrounding prognostication of a six-month life expectancy and the principle that two physicians can disagree about...more
As we approach the 40th anniversary of the Medicare hospice benefit, we stand at an important reflection point to evaluate end-of-life care and map its future. In this new series, we gather leaders and thinkers from a range...more