Hospice Insights: The Law and Beyond
Tune in to Husch Blackwell’s hospice podcast with Meg Pekarske for conversations with industry innovators and fundamentals for navigating hospice law. In our commitment to monitoring updates and fostering learning, each episode delivers essential information clients need for best solutions in this changing healthcare sector.
- Update frequency
- every 15 days
- Average duration
- 30 minutes
- Episodes
- 135
- Years Active
- 2020 - 2025
Hospice Labor and Employment Trends - Get Up to Speed Fast: What You Need to Know About the New Rules Involving Non-Competes and Exempt Employees
It’s never a dull moment when you are a labor and employment lawyer these days! Beyond the steady rise in union activity (a topic of a prior podcast), the administration has issued two rules that are…
A Refresh: What’s New in the New OIG General Compliance Program Guidance
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 Black…
Deal Breakers: Identifying Key Issues Early in Member Substitutions
As member substitutions become an increasingly common method of affiliation for nonprofit hospices, hospices may encounter various opportunities for affiliation. Join Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske a…
An Ounce of Prevention: Keys to Understanding and Preventing AI and Cybersecurity Risks
In this episode, Meg Pekarske is joined by Jody Rudman, the leader of Husch Blackwell’s White Collar, Internal Investigations & Compliance group, where they explore the enforcement and privacy issues…
A Command Performant(s): RAC Audits on the Rise
Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) have played a relatively limited role in the hospice space, often overshadowed by UPICs, SMRCs, and Center for Program Integrity audits. In this episode, Husch Black…
The TPE Carousel. . . Around and Around We Go
Hospice Targeted Probe and Educate reviews (TPEs) continue to be initiated all over the country. That means it’s time to check in with Husch Blackwell's Hospice team on the latest developments. In th…
A Fond Farewell: Musings on the End of the Medicare Advantage Hospice Carve-In Demonstration
It came as a surprise to our team when we learned that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) was ending the hospice component of Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) on December 31, 2024.…
OMG. . .The OIG is at it Again
Five years ago, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) initiated audits of 13 hospices and published its findings in 13 separate reports. It appears that t…
How One Hospice Owner Got Convicted of Healthcare Fraud and How You Can Avoid That Fate
The owner of a Louisiana hospice was indicted and then convicted of healthcare fraud. How did that happen? In this episode, Husch Blackwell's Meg Pekarske and Jonathan Porter talk about how a routine…
Hospice and Home Health Survey Perspectives: A Conversation with Kim Skehan, VP of Accreditation at CHAP
In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske is joined by friend and industry veteran Kim Skehan. In this wide-ranging conversation, they explore not only the recent survey reforms but the ways in…
Year in Review: Key Regulatory Updates in 2023
The hospice industry saw many regulatory changes in 2023. In this episode, Husch Blackwell's Meg Pekarske, Andrew Brenton, and Adam Royal discuss some of the main regulatory changes from 2023 and wha…
An Alternative to Consolidations: Key Considerations for Management Services Organizations
Traditional hospice transactions are receiving increased regulatory scrutiny and headwinds. Amidst these challenges, many hospices are considering management services organizations as an alternative …
Stories of Successful Hospice Leadership: The CEO and Compliance Officer Relationship
An effective compliance program is the bedrock of any successful healthcare organization and behind every successful compliance program is a trusted relationship between the Compliance Officer and CE…
A Very “Special” Episode: Amid Controversy, CMS Launches the Hospice Special Focus Program
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) devised a “Special Focus Program” to identify poor performing hospices and help them improve through more frequent surveys and technical assistance. CMS…
Grace from CMS: Unexpected Good News on HIS and CAHPS Appeals
For a variety of unfortunate reasons, some hospices found themselves facing a 4% rate reduction for non-compliance with either Hospice Item Set (HIS) or Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & …
This Bandwagon Has a Broken Wheel: OIG Joins the Inconsistent Approach to Hospice GIP Claims
CMS has criticized hospices for underutilizing general inpatient care (GIP) but has also specifically targeted GIP claims for audit and medical review. In addition to CMS’s standard tools for reviewi…
A Significant Departure: Unpacking What the New Antitrust Guidelines Mean for Healthcare Providers
Join Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske and Wendy Arends as they explore the new draft Merger Guidelines and what enforcement may look like in the future. Given the number of hospices looking to consolid…
The Gift That Keeps On Giving: TPE Insights and Strategies
While not new, the number and scope of Targeted Probe and Educate (TPE) reviews have soared to new heights. At the same time, more hospices are facing the uncomfortable position of moving to a second…
Behind the Curtain: Enhanced Provider Enrollment Oversight
In the midst of consolidation and restructuring among hospices, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is scrutinizing initial enrollments and changes in ownership and management. In this…
What Does It Mean? Understanding the Practical Implications of the New 36-Month Rule for Hospices
It’s been hard to keep track of all the new changes related to government oversight of hospices. This growing list now includes an expansion of the 36-month rule to hospices, which will limit the fre…