Hospice Insights: The Law and Beyond

COVID-19 remained a substantial obstacle to hospices’ efforts to comply with quality data reporting obligations in 2021. Those challenges resulted in a number of hospices receiving notices of a 2% Me…

The hospice election may be the single most important document for hospices since an invalid form can impact payment for a patient’s entire stay. Especially in light of a recent rise in Medicare clai…

For the last two-and-a-half years, hospices and other providers have been using billions in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) payments to prepare for, respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The …

Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske is very excited to be joined by Jaysen Roa, President and CEO of Avow Hospice in Naples, Florida. Jaysen is a leader of action who is finding new ways to approach and s…

In this episode, we continue our discussion of home health enforcement trends, focusing on other audits currently troubling agencies. These include audits from Unified Program Integrity Contractors (…

In a prior podcast, we alerted you to the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) nationwide review of hospice beneficiary eligibility. The OIG has begun sending out requests for records to hospices acro…

Each July, the Medicare Administrative Contractors issue notices of a 2% Medicare payment reduction to those providers who did not meet quality data reporting requirements. Those notices have been se…

As many hospices continue to diversify into new business lines, staying abreast of enforcement trends outside of hospice is more important than ever. Home health in particular, is receiving significa…

When confronted with a complaint, allegation or event that implicates a potential Medicare overpayment, hospices have an affirmative duty under the federal 60-day repayment rule to conduct an investi…

The core of most hospice audits has been, and continues to be, whether the medical record supports the patient’s hospice eligibility. In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske talks with Bryan …

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 …

Unified Program Integrity Contractor (UPIC) audits are on the rise, and the UPICs are embracing the full array of enforcement tools at their disposal. In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske …

Our hospice team has been fielding questions from hospices across the country on administering COVID-19 vaccination requirements. In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske is joined by colleagu…

Providing hospice care to vulnerable individuals can embroil hospices in a variety of unwanted situations. The emotions surrounding the death of a loved one can cause families and caregivers to quest…