Articles and Blogs

According to new Consumer Price Index (CPI) data, inflation was flat during the month of October. Experts believe this is evidence that inflation is cooling off. Year-to-date, the CPI index is up 3.2%. The top five markets for development and urban growth in 2024 are Nashville, Phoenix, Dallas, Atlanta and Austin according to a new…Read More

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) Medicare Advantage final rule for 2024 (“Final Rule”) clarified that Medicare Advantage plans must adhere to the “two-midnight rule” when making coverage determinations for inpatient services. However, CMS also stated that care spanning two midnights is not “presumed” appropriate for an inpatient level of care under Medicare…Read More

Billing for Advanced Practice Professionals (“APPs”) has been a challenging area for providers and practitioners because of different and changing Medicare, Medicaid and state law requirements. Medical record documentation and employment relationships are key to supporting how services are provided and billed. Although the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) and regulators have expanded…Read More

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office of Civil Rights (“OCR”) recently released updated guidance in its October 2023 Cybersecurity Newsletter emphasizing the importance of sanction policies in maintaining HIPAA compliance. This guidance builds upon a threat brief previously issued in August 2022 by HHS’ Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (“HC3”). The…Read More

On November 6, 2023, the Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) issued new General Compliance Program Guidance (“GCPG”) for members of the health care compliance community and other health care stakeholders. Since the release of its first compliance program guidance (“CPG”) for hospitals in 1998, OIG has developed a series…Read More

Presbyterian Healthcare Services and UnityPoint Health executives have agreed not to pursue a planned cross-market merger that would have created a system of nearly 50 hospitals. The nonprofit systems proposed the partnership in March; however, financial issues have led to the merger being abandoned. Walgreens plans to close 60 underperforming VillageMD clinics and exit five…Read More

Healthpeak Properties, Inc. and Physicians Realty Trust have announced an all-stock merger valued at around $21 billion. The combined company will possess a 52-million-square-foot healthcare real estate portfolio. The company will operate under the name of Healthpeak Properties, Inc. and trade as “DOC” on the NYSE. Last week, mortgage rates reached their highest level since…Read More