Articles and Blogs

On May 21, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) issued a policy memo titled Adjustment of Status is a Matter of Discretion and Administrative Grace, and an Extraordinary Relief that Permits Applicants to Dispense with the Ordinary Consular Visa Process (the “Policy Memo”). According to the Policy Memo, adjustment of status to Lawful... READ MORE

Health care enforcement is entering a data-driven era in which artificial intelligence (“AI”) and large-scale analytics increasingly shape how fraud is identified and pursued, as reflected in the U.S. Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) launch of the Fraud Oversight through Careful Use of Statistics (“FOCUS”) initiative. Overview of the FOCUS Initiative On April 7, 2026,... READ MORE

NATIONAL After FDA commissioner departure, drug center head is out AHA Statement on House Health Subcommittee Hearing Examining Physician Fees, Payment Reforms AMA taps new COO from UnitedHealth Amid legal dispute, Leapfrog debuts ‘full transparency’ badges CMS finalizes ACA marketplace overhaul for 2027: 6 notes CMS pauses hospice, home health Medicare enrollments in fraud... READ MORE

On May 1, 2026, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) posted Advisory Opinion 26-09 (“AO 26-09”), which opines on a pediatric dental and orthodontic service provider’s (“Requestor’s”) proposal to offer free orthodontic treatment for one patient per year at each of Requestor’s three practice locations (the “Proposed Arrangement”).... READ MORE

Hall Render is pleased to announce that Mara Wilber has joined the Firm as an attorney. Mara is a health care regulatory and transactional attorney who advises hospitals, health systems and other providers. She works closely with clients, including safety-net providers, to develop practical, solution-oriented strategies that support community access, financial sustainability and evolving... READ MORE

Hall Render is pleased to announce that David Stoltzfus has joined the Firm as a Shareholder in its Washington, D.C. office. Dave is a health care antitrust attorney who advises hospitals, health systems, physicians and other providers on federal and state antitrust matters affecting transactions, investigations and business operations. He represents clients in mergers... READ MORE

Recent Revista data indicated that, over the past decade, the West Coast and Southeast have shown consistently high health care GDP growth, while the Midwest and Northeast (except NY) have shown consistently lower growth. A second post specific to MOB rents showed that certain metros in FL, IN, AL, TN and NC have significantly... READ MORE

NATIONAL 5 CMS updates shaping outpatient care in 2026 AHA letter to editor responds to op-ed claiming nonprofit hospitals do not meet community benefit obligations CMS pauses home health, hospice provider enrollment into Medicare CMS taps 30 healthcare organizations for prior authorization initiative FDA chief to depart after Trump signed off on ousting him... READ MORE

On April 14, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) published the Fiscal Year (“FY”) 2027 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (“IPPS”) Proposed Rule (the “Proposed Rule”), which can be found here. Among other things, the Proposed Rule would make updates to Graduate Medical Education (“GME”) policies for teaching hospitals under the Medicare... READ MORE

Indiana Medicaid’s effort to rein in Applied Behavior Analysis (“ABA”) therapy costs has led to a proposed moratorium on provider enrollment. On May 7, 2026, the Indiana Health Coverage Programs (“IHCP”) announced it is seeking approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) to implement the statewide provider enrollment moratorium, beginning June... READ MORE