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We have heard it many times before: The average American will consume 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day.  The New York Times Thanksgiving Help Line is reporting that the often-cited 4,500 number may be overstated.  According to the report, that number is cited by the Calorie Control Council, which is a diet foods industry group.  Tara…

Husch Blackwell welcomes Associate Wakaba Y. Tessier to the firm’s Healthcare group in St. Louis. Tessier has concentrated her practice in healthcare law since obtaining her J.D. in 2009, and prior to that worked in the healthcare industry for a pharmaceutical consulting firm.

Husch Blackwell’s Healthcare team continues to expand with Tessier as the fifth addition to the group this year. Emily Park joined the Jefferson City office in September upon receiving her J.D. from the University of Missouri School of Law. Kansas City Partner and former Health and Human Services Senior Counsel Brian Bewley, along with St. Louis Associate Kimela West, joined the firm in July. West had practiced at another firm in St. Louis where her clientele included a major health system with more than 20 hospitals, home health agencies and assisted living facilities. Initiating the hiring trend was Former Hospital Risk Management Director Tina Boschert, who joined the Kansas City office in May.

Clearing a building site inside a crowded city can often be efficiently done by “imploding” existing structures utilizing high explosives.  While the science of demolition by implosion is mature and can be implemented safely, neighboring property owners have legitimate concerns about damage from flying debris, dust, ground vibration and air blast overpressure.  At the same…

On May 3, 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Blog posted a delay to the implementation of the Physician Payments Sunshine Act.  CMS stated that, in order to provide time for organizations to prepare for data submission and to sufficiently address the important input CMS received during the rulemaking process, CMS will…

Arbitration clauses in lease agreements have become commonplace and are often included as a matter of course. In theory, arbitration is supposed to be less expensive, provide faster results, and generally be more efficient than traditional litigation. In reality, many have found arbitration to be just as expensive as litigation, if not more so, and…

The Texas Legislature has enacted new laws specifying requirements for lien waivers and releases. These new laws protect laborers and materialmen by preserving their lien rights until they get paid. The old, common practice of forcing subcontractors to sign otherwise enforceable “blanket lien waivers,” in exchange for the privilege of working on a project, is…

The Texas Medicare Administrator Contractor changes from TrailBlazer to Novitas (formerly Highmark Medicare Services)

For many years, TrailBlazer Health Enterprises, LLC  (TrailBlazer) was both the fiscal intermediary (Part A) and carrier (Part B) for providers located in Texas.  TrailBlazer was responsible for the fee-for-service Medicare payments, local coverage decisions and physician enrollment into the Medicare…