Articles and Blogs

NATIONAL Amazon’s push into telehealth knocks shares of Hims & Hers America’s Rural Hospital Crisis Has Been Looming for Decades AMA lawsuit targets collusion in health care pricing CMS Unveils Major Changes for Nursing Home Surveys for 2025 DEA, HHS issue another extension for telehealth controlled substance prescribing Donald Trump taps TV personality Dr.... READ MORE

The Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that most skilled nursing facilities (“nursing homes”) in Massachusetts that it surveyed are not correctly complying with life safety requirements or emergency preparedness requirements. OIG recently issued a report on its audits of life safety requirements or emergency... READ MORE

Health care continues to drive private equity (“PE”) activity, creating opportunities for investors and traditional health care providers. Transactions in the health care space are especially complicated, layering health care regulatory and reimbursement considerations on top of a complex securities, antitrust, privacy and security framework. Hall Render’s PE team of attorneys and advisors leverage... READ MORE

On Friday, November 15, 2024, the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) and the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS,” and together with the DEA, the “Agencies”) issued a third temporary rule (the “Third Temporary Rule”) extending the COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications (“telemedicine flexibilities”). As a result of both Congressional and... READ MORE

Acadia Healthcare plans to add 2,000 beds over the next two years, per recent statements by CEO Chris Hunter. This comes on the heels of 400 beds added in 2024 and is anticipated to stem from a number of new joint venture arrangements with other health providers. Guardian Healthcare has secured bankruptcy court approval... READ MORE

NATIONAL A flurry of hospital M&A moves to start November Aetna, Optum to settle ‘dummy code’ class-action case AHA urges Congress to act on key priorities for hospitals before end of the year AMA calls for tougher oversight of nonprofit hospitals AMA considers MyChart billing resolution: 5 things to know Amazon One Medical launches... READ MORE

On November 7, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) published a final rule (“Final Rule”) that added a new condition of participation for home health agencies (“HHA”) to participate in Medicare under the “Medicare Program; Calendar Year (“CY”) 2025 Home Health Prospective Payment System (“HH PPS”) Rate Update” for the calendar... READ MORE

Health care continues to drive private equity (“PE”) activity, creating opportunities for investors and traditional health care providers. Transactions in the health care space are especially complicated, layering health care regulatory and reimbursement considerations on top of a complex securities, antitrust, privacy and security framework. Hall Render’s PE team of attorneys and advisors leverage... READ MORE

With the use of Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) systems becoming more and more prevalent in workplaces across the country, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) has released guidance on the development and use of AI by employers. This document, entitled “Artificial Intelligence and Worker Well-being: Principles and Best Practices for Developers and Employers,” (“Best Practices”)... READ MORE

NATIONAL 9 states targeting private equity CMS finalizes physician pay cut, while skilled nursing docs, others press for fix CMS finalizes 2025 fee schedule: 5 behavioral health updates CMS issues new hospital maternal health, safety standards: 8 things to know CMS updates ASC reporting requirements: 5 things to know CMS’ hospital capacity reporting rule... READ MORE