Articles and Blogs

The importance of senior housing and skilled nursing facilities continues to be a prominent topic of discussion across the United States health care industry. In fact, it is estimated that the aging Baby Boomer population will increase from 20 million in 2014 to 33.6 million by 2029. This rapid change in demographics, coupled with the…Read More

Through a Notice published on August 12, 2021, the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) announced the availability of up to $500 million in grant funding for the new Emergency Rural Health Care Grant Program (the “Program”) appropriated under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The purpose of the Program is to offer support…Read More

On August 3, 2021, the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”) Bureau of Competition Director Holly Vedova penned a blog post warning merging companies against closing transactions before the FTC has concluded its review. Citing a “tidal wave” of merger filings that has stretched the FTC’s limited resources, the agency will issue form letters alerting merging parties…Read More

In a recent opinion, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals adopted an interpretation of the False Claims Act’s “knowledge” requirement based on the Supreme Court’s interpretation of a similar provision under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The Court’s application of this interpretation is good news for hospitals and health care systems that must regularly interpret…Read More

The False Claims Act has long been a fierce, but fair weapon in the government’s fight against fraud. Recently, however, profit minded trial attorneys and private entities have monetized the FCA by taking advantage of the fraud statute’s ambiguous safeguards. By creating qui tam portfolios and securing stakes in whistleblower awards, these financially driven parties…Read More

In an interesting federal district court case currently awaiting jury trial in Tennessee, the plaintiff claims that the termination of his employment at a Tennessee hospital was in retaliation for exercising his rights under the Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”). The hospital that formerly employed him asked the court to grant summary judgment, arguing that…Read More