Missouri

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.

Hospice Insights

In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske and Jacob Harris unpack what may be behind the Hospice Item Set (HIS) noncompliance letters that many hospices believe they have erroneously received. These letters indicate hospices have not achieved compliance with the HIS reporting requirement. Meg and Jacob explore how the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’…

Executive Order GA-40

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…

Meg Pekarske Hospice Governance Academy

Hospice boards today need to be well-versed in a number of areas that directly or indirectly address legal issues. In this three-part Hospice Governance Academy Spotlight Interview, Bill Musick, President of Integriti3D, talks with Meg Pekarske, a partner at Husch Blackwell and host of the podcast, “Hospice Insights: The Law and Beyond…

Uphealth New York Stock Exchange Picture

Led out of the firm’s Milwaukee office, Husch Blackwell represented UpHealth in its recently closed business combination that created a publicly traded, comprehensive global digital healthcare company.

Our Kate Bechen and Robin Lehninger were thrilled to join the leadership team of UpHealth Inc. at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate their listing as a…

Congratulations Potter

Our Terry Potter and FAB’s Josef (Joe) Glynias are the latest Husch Blackwell attorneys to be named to a Missouri Lawyers Media POWER (log-in required) list covering Employment Law: https://lnkd.in/ew_HE2m 

A former field attorney with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Terry serves healthcare and higher education clients in labor and management relations matters. Joe…

OSHA Guidance

On June 28, 2021, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) issued a new directive that establishes a change in its inspection and enforcement procedures to facilitate the uniform enforcement of OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) with respect to workplace exposures to COVID-19 in the healthcare industry. The directive is effective for no more than 12 months from June 21, 2021, unless cancelled or extended by OSHA. State Plans must adopt enforcement policies that are identical to or at least as effective as the enforcement policies issued by federal OSHA by July 28, 2021.

Hospice Insights

Success in False Claims Act Lawsuits

In this third episode of the Husch Blackwell Hospice Team’s “Hospice and the False Claims Act” series, Meg Pekarske, Bryan Nowicki, Jody Rudman and Brian Flood discuss the process and path of a False Claims Act (FCA) lawsuit. FCA cases are a test of endurance as much as they…

Husch Blackwell’s Education team recently conducted a webinar that tackles complex Clery Act issues that directly affect academic medical centers, hospitals and healthcare systems, and student health facilities. Listen in while Husch Blackwell attorneys, Hayley Hansen and Ellen Armentrout discuss specific Clery Act compliance topics, such as:

  • confidentiality concerns;
  • guidance offered in the new Clery

…