Literature Review

Baptist Health settles False Claims allegations for $1.5MBecker's Hospital Review; by Naomi Diaz; 5/7/24Jacksonville, FL-based Baptist Health has agreed to pay $1.5 million to address accusations of breaching the False Claims Act. The health system allegedly prompted its subsidiaries to provide discounts up to 50% or more to patients, aiming to incentivize them to acquire or recommend Baptist Health services covered by federal healthcare programs, according to a May 6 Justice Department news release. ... The Anti-Kickback Statute states that individuals in federal healthcare programs cannot get paid for sending others to receive healthcare for which the government pays. 

2023’s Most Impactful Hospice Regulatory MovesHospice NewsDecember 12, 2023Program integrity issues that have heated up in the hospice space during the past five years reached a boiling point in 2023. Hospice providers have seen an array of increased regulatory oversight in 2023. That momentum has been fueled by two main concerns among regulators—risks of patient safety and evidence of malfeasance in the space. Hospice News sat down with providers, advocacy groups, legal experts and other stakeholders to uncover the most significant hospice regulatory trends from this year and their anticipated impacts heading into 2024 and beyond. ...Editor's Note: Quoted in the article, Jason Wallace, partner in health care, Barnes & Thornburg LLP; Ben Marcantonio, COO and interim CEO, NHPCO; Carrie Uebel, senior vice president and chief ethics and compliance officer, Compassus

CMS’ New Transparency Rule Can Help ‘Weed Out a Few Bad Actors’ but Won’t Impact Deals Much, Other Factors at PlaySkilled Nursing NewsDecember 6, 2023Nursing home ownership changes have largely been embraced by the industry and will have little impact on deal activity, with the new transparency rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services having very little impact on the sector. Instead, the new rule will force nursing homes to report ownership details during critical junctures like Medicare or Medicaid applications and recertification, according to executive managing director of VIUM Capital, Steven W. Kennedy. And if anything, the new transparency rule will eliminate any bad actors on the real estate and operating side because these might cause them “discomfort,” and that’s certainly better for the industry, he said. “Every industry no matter where you are has some bad actors,” he said. “I think in general, skilled nursing has very few bad apples, but if they’re out there, this can help weed them out.”