Friday, November 12, 2021
Live Webinar | Noon – 1:00 p.m. CST
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On November 4, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an advance copy of the Interim Final Rule (IFR) related to COVID-19 vaccines for most of the entities covered by applicable Conditions of Participation, Conditions for Coverage or Requirements for Participation. Join Husch Blackwell attorneys for an update and a closer look at the requirements for covered entities. Preview our recent Legal Alert on this topic.
Continue Reading CMS Interim Final Rule: Hard Vaccine Mandate for Healthcare Facilities

On November 4, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an advance copy of the Interim Final Rule (IFR) related to COVID-19 vaccines for most of the entities covered by applicable Conditions of Participation, Conditions for Coverage or Requirements for Participation.
Continue Reading CMS Interim Final Rule: Hard Vaccine Mandate for Healthcare Facilities

There were no major surprises when the Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) and physician fee schedule (PFS) Final Rules were released on November 2, 2021, but there are still several financial and compliance areas that healthcare providers must prepare for as we head into 2022. Today’s update provides a brief summary of the

Governor Abbott’s Executive Order

On October 11, 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued Executive Order GA-40 (the Texas Order) banning COVID-19 vaccine mandates by any entity, including private employers, in Texas. Because the Texas Order was issued while Texas remains in a state of emergency related to the pandemic, the Texas Disaster Act grants it the force and effect of law. The Texas Order states that “no entity in Texas” can compel vaccination for anyone in the state who objects “for any reason of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19.” “Personal conscience” is undefined, and this ambiguity in the Texas Order makes it unclear whether an individual can object to the COVID-19 vaccine due to reasons other than religion or those medically related.
Continue Reading Texas Governor Mandates “No Mandates” for COVID-19 Vaccination

Thursday, September 30, 2021
Live Webinar | 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. CDT

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Healthcare employers have been implementing vaccine mandates—hard mandates, soft mandates, and everything in between—for some time now. The religious exemption requests, however, are piling up. Join Husch Blackwell attorneys who have experience addressing the myriad issues involving religious exemptions, including federal law, state laws and “right of conscience” laws. Stick around for questions and answers and hear other human resources leaders in healthcare share their experiences.
Continue Reading Roundtable: Religious Exemptions and Vaccine Mandates in Healthcare

Did you miss some of the webinar, want to review some of the material or have a colleague who missed the program? The webinar recording is now available for viewing at your convenience. Simply register using the following link and you will have access to the recorded webcast. https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/3418654/CFE58C2AEF93EDB2894F6D043A5D5422?mode=login&email=priscilla.murray@huschblackwell.com
Continue Reading Legal Considerations and Future Vaccine Mandates—How to Prepare for the Federal Vaccine Mandate

On September 10, the Biden-Harris Administration, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced that $25.5 billion in relief funds will be distributed to healthcare providers through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The American Rescue Plan (ARP) will provide $8.5 billion in funding and an additional $17 billion will be distributed as Phase 4 Provider Relief Funds (PRF).
Continue Reading Healthcare Providers to Receive $25.5 Billion in Relief Funds

As reported in a previous blog post, the Texas 87th Legislature passed S.B. 809, an Act adding Chapter 81A entitled “Coronavirus Disease Public Health Emergency Reporting” to the Texas Health and Safety Code. This Act requires “health care institutions” who received federal relief funds under the CARES Act, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, or the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to report the amounts received to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. As directed in the Act, HHSC has issued proposed rules regarding the reporting requirements, comments were due September 3, 2021.

The Act defines “health care institution” as an entity listed in Texas Health and Safety Code 74.001(11).
Continue Reading Update: Texas HHSC Issues Provider Relief Fund Reporting Requirements – October 1, 2021 Deadline

Husch Blackwell secured a victory before the Missouri Supreme Court in closely watched litigation over the implementation of Amendment 2, a 2020 ballot initiative that Missourians passed and that would expand Medicaid coverage in the state.

The litigation stemmed from the decision of Missouri’s Department of Social Services to refuse to enroll the plaintiffs in MO HealthNet, the state’s Medicaid plan, because the Missouri General Assembly allegedly failed to appropriate funding for the program’s expansion. The trial court ruled that Amendment 2 violated article III, section 51 of the Missouri Constitution, which prohibits a ballot measure from appropriating money without creating revenue to fund the initiative.
Continue Reading Husch Blackwell Prevails Over Opposition to Missouri Medicaid Expansion

This Spring, the Texas 87th Legislature passed S.B. 809, an Act adding Chapter 81A entitled “Coronavirus Disease Public Health Emergency Reporting” to the Texas Health and Safety Code. This Act requires “health care institutions” who received federal relief funds under the CARES Act, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, or the American Rescue Plan Act of