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New research shows that hospitals with higher nursing levels have fewer readmissions and lower penalties for excessive readmission rates.  A new study, which appeared in the October issue of Health Affairs, found that hospitals with higher staffing levels had a 25 percent lower chance of being penalized for readmission rates when compared to hospitals with lower staffing levels.…

Husch Blackwell attorney Joe Geraci weighed in on recent guidance provided by HHS related to whether the federal anti-kickback statute applies to patients who purchase subsidized health insurance products on the new state or federal healthcare exchanges.  Specifically, the anti-kickback regulations apply to “federal healthcare programs” that are defined to include the following:

Any plan

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CMS continues to emphasize readmissions as a marker of quality.  CMS research shows that approximately 45% of hospital admissions among those receiving either Medicare skilled nursing services or Medicaid skilled nursing services could have been avoided.  Husch Blackwell attorneys Mark Chouteau and Michael Crowe recently authored an article in the October issue of AHLA Connections…

As the government shutdown drags on, some CMS activities are grinding to a halt. CMS recently released a memo to State Survey Agency Directors regarding which CMS survey and certification activities will continue and which ones have been put on hold for providers of all types. According to the memo, complaints that are triaged as…

Last week, our own Brian Bewley chaired the HCCA Midwest Regional Conference in Overland Park, Kansas.  The conference addressed current compliance issues such as the compliance officer’s evolving role, RAC audits and appeals, and HIPAA.  The conference had a great turnout – in fact, the most attendees in the conference’s history.

Husch Blackwell’s Julianne Story…

Some employers may have rejoiced when IRS Notice 2013-45 delayed until 2015 the implementation of the employer shared-responsibility penalties mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Certainly, this delay is a win for employers; however, other healthcare reforms will demand the attention of health plan sponsors before January 1, 2014.  Husch Blackwell…

New rules by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) will require federal contractors and subcontractors to ask applicants and current employees whether they are individuals with disabilities.  These new rules are described in a recent alert by Husch Blackwell attorney Molly Kurt. 

While such an inquiry is otherwise prohibited by the Americans…

The time for SNFs to become more vigilant about self-auditing is now, according to the Report on Medicare Compliance.  Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) should have began receiving the first round of PEPPER at the end of August.  “PEPPER” stands for Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Reports.  These reports, which are a free compliance…

We are proud to announce that Diane J. Romza-Kutz has joined our Chicago office where she will focus on assisting Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical industry clients with federal and state regulatory matters, licensing and Intellectual Property matters.  Diane brings substantial experience handling federal food and drug matters, Federal Trade Commission matters and U.S. Department of

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Welcome to our new series on HIPAA!

Whether you are feeling a little rusty on HIPAA issues or trying to figure out the new Omnibus rule, we hope you will find this information helpful.  Each week, we will be discussing a new aspect of HIPAA including:

  • HIPAA basics
  • New Omnibus regulations
  • Responding to subpoenas
  • HIPAA disasters
  • Enforcement

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