Hospice Insights: The Law and Beyond

Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske is joined by Dina Yankelewitz, CEO of Vitalis Care, a technology company that is harnessing AI technology to reduce staff burden and allow more time for patient care. Dina shares her vision and passion for the hospice space, discussing how she applied her background in education and learning methods to inform not only what tools to develop but importantly how they work for the end user. Dina and Meg e...

In an audit, election statement deficiencies can be costly. Auditors deny all claims covered by the problematic election statement, and those costs can multiply if more than one patient was affected. In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske, Bryan Nowicki, and Josi Wergin discuss common reasons auditors give for denying claims based on election statement deficiencies, and how hospices can improve their election statements to...

On May 12, 2025, the Head of the Criminal Division for the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a memorandum outlining its enforcement priorities. In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske and Jonathan Porter break down what is new and not so new in DOJ’s announcement. They explore the memorandum’s revisions to the Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy, its treatment on individual liability, and how whistleblowers may be impacted. I...

Hospice audits can have profound financial implications, particularly when the auditors use statistical extrapolation to identify an overpayment amount. The use of extrapolation runs across auditor types, including UPICs and the OIG, and can apply to Medicare and Medicaid. 

In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske, Bryan Nowicki, and Emily Solum discuss recent experiences and successes in dealing with statistical extrapolatio...

Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske is joined by colleague Kathleen Snyder, who has extensive experience in digital health and has been busy advising health care providers on how to safely implement artificial intelligence (AI) tools in their organizations. With AI holding so much promise for helping hospices gain efficiencies, reduce staff burdens, and improve the patient experience, we all need to jump into the future—but do so though...

For hospices, unprecedented competition, enhanced oversight, and looming payment reform create business obstacles or growth opportunities, depending on your outlook. Your growth strategy shouldn’t be the same as your neighbor’s. Instead of following the herd, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske and Bryan Nowicki explore how to begin thinking about what should be on your strategic plan and the importance of bringing your board along with...

There has been a lot of buzz around psychedelics and particularly their potential usefulness in treating existential suffering at the end of life. Husch Blackwell was the first law firm in the country to establish a Psychedelics & Emerging Therapies practice group devoted to helping clinicians, researchers, and investors navigate the complex and difficult legal and regulatory issues involved in developing new therapies in this spac...

Hospices that have been audited have to decide how to address any alleged overpayment identified by the auditor, whether through a voluntary repayment, recoupment, or applying for an extended repayment schedule. CMS recently identified updates to the Medicare Financial Management Manual relating to these options. In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske and Bryan Nowicki discuss those updates which, practically speaking, do ...

In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske is joined by long-time hospice friend and industry guru Greg Grabowski. They turned the microphone on their usually private (but always lively) discussions on what’s going on in the wide world of hospice. To make it especially fun, they each prepared, but did not share prior to recording, their own list of what’s working and not working in hospice right now. Listen in to see how their...

A strong and engaged Chief Medical Officer (CMO) may be a hospice CEO’s most important asset. But what does a successful CEO/CMO relationship look like and how must it evolve to meet today’s challenges? In this episode we get to find out, as Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske is joined by HopeHealth CEO Diana Franchitto and Dr. Edward Martin, CMO, whose trusted relationship has been instrumental to the organization’s success and clinic...

It’s that time of year again when HIS and CAHPS non-compliance letters are sent out. While it can be an uphill battle, all may not be lost if you receive a notice of non-compliance. Join Husch Blackwell's Meg Pekarske as she talks with Jacob Harris, who shares insights on what matters in these appeals and how he helped so many hospices across the country over the last several years avoid detrimental rate cuts. The key takeaways are...