Articles and Blogs

On March 11, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued a Quality, Safety & Oversight (“QSO”) memorandum and related updates to the State Operations Manual (“SOM”) interpretive guidance clarifying and reinforcing existing responsibilities of organ procurement organizations (“OPOs”) and donor hospitals throughout the organ donation process. While the memorandum largely reiterates... READ MORE

NATIONAL 84% of primary care providers say they have key role in mental healthcare: Survey Aetna to pay $118M to settle Medicare Advantage upcoding claims A.I. Chatbots Want Your Health Records. Tread Carefully. Epic sued over claims MyChart fragments patient medical records Federal Medicaid fraud probe spreads to 10 states FDA vaccine chief to... READ MORE

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) has long been the north star for health care entities seeking guidance on creating and implementing an effective compliance program. As the author of the General Compliance Program Guidance (“GCPG”), OIG has used its years of investigative and oversight experience with... READ MORE

Hall Render is pleased to announce that Ben Jamison has joined the Firm. Ben focuses his practice on corporate transactions, representing both for-profit and non-profit health care organizations in a broad range of transactions and corporate governance matters. He advises hospitals, health systems, physician groups and other health care providers on mergers and acquisitions,... READ MORE

 Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman, P.C. (“Hall Render”), a national health care-focused law firm, announced that it served as purchaser’s counsel to Centurion Foundation, a Georgia-based non-profit, in connection with a prominent Rhode Island hospital transaction that closed March 6, 2026.    The transaction represents a significant milestone for the hospitals and surrounding communities, enabling the acquisition of two safety net hospitals, Roger... READ MORE

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS“) issued a wide-ranging Request for Information (“RFI”) on February 26, which could reshape current program integrity efforts to prevent and detect fraud, waste and abuse in government health care programs. CMS, under its new Comprehensive Regulations to Uncover Suspicious Healthcare (“CRUSH”) initiative, is seeking stakeholder input... READ MORE

The Indiana Court of Appeals recently affirmed a regular commitment to a state hospital of a gravely disabled patient based on evidence that the patient’s symptoms impaired his judgment and his refusal to take medication and behavior demonstrated his inability to function independently. In re Commitment of G.S. v. Richmond State Hosp., No. 25A-MH-2033,... READ MORE

NATIONAL 8 “Cs” drive physician buy-in to high-value patient care 14 payers recently fined by states Aetna fined $550K for mental health parity violations AHA warns of Cisco cybersecurity vulnerability AMA creates new maternity care coding system Amazon launches Amazon Connect Health Amid fast-moving Medicaid changes, CMS vet offers providers and states advice Antikickback... READ MORE

New federal law will require hospitals to obtain separate NPIs and submit provider‑based attestations for off‑campus hospital outpatient departments (“HOPDs”) as a condition of Medicare payment starting in 2028. The changes remove prior flexibility for HOPDs by stiffening ownership, compliance and structuring requirements for these facilities. Echoing other recent reports, a recent VMG Healthcare... READ MORE

UPDATE: March 10, 2026 – The dispute between Novo Nordisk (“Novo”) and Hims & Hers (“Hims”) appears to have been resolved very quickly. On March 9, the companies announced an agreement allowing Hims to offer FDA-approved Wegovy® and Ozempic®, including the recently released tablets, through its telehealth platform at the same self-pay prices as... READ MORE