Home Health


Home Health Agency Settles Kickback/Stark Allegations
November 30, 2020 | Eric D. Fader | False Claims Act | Fraud and Abuse | Home Health | Litigation | Medicare and Medicaid

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on November 20 that Doctor’s Choice Home Care, Inc. agreed to pay $3,856,000 to resolve allegations that the agency paid illegal kickbacks to physicians for referring patients. The agency will pay an additional $675,000 to resolve separate allegations that its employees pressured clinical personnel to increase the number of

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FDA Announces Digital Health Center of Excellence
October 7, 2020 | Electronic Health Records | FDA | Home Health | Legislation and Public Policy | Medical Devices and Wearables | Telehealth

On September 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the launch of its Digital Health Center of Excellence within the Center for Devices and Radiological Health. The FDA called this an important step toward its goal of advancing digital health technology, including mobile health (mHealth), health information technology, wearable devices, telehealth, and personalized

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Amazon Enters Health Wearables Market
September 11, 2020 | Eric D. Fader | Electronic Health Records | Home Health | Medical Devices and Wearables | Private Insurers | Telehealth

Amazon recently introduced the Halo fitness tracker, its first entry into the health wearables market currently dominated by Fitbit and the Apple Watch. Amazon’s previous efforts to move into the healthcare industry have included the acquisition of online pharmacy PillPack in 2018, the mysterious Haven initiative with Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase, and various other

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CMS Proposes Permanent Expansion of Telehealth Services
August 5, 2020 | Ada Janocinska | Behavioral Health | COVID-19 | Home Health | Hospitals | Legislation and Public Policy | Medicare and Medicaid | Telehealth

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic since mid-March, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) worked quickly to issue emergency guidance that allowed temporary expansion of payment for telehealth services and provided certain flexibility in providing telehealth services. The COVID pandemic has significantly increased awareness of the benefits of telehealth, as many patients have

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HHS, DOJ Release Fraud and Abuse Report
July 23, 2020 | Eric D. Fader | Electronic Health Records | False Claims Act | Fraud and Abuse | Home Health | Hospitals | Litigation | Medical Devices and Wearables | Medicare and Medicaid | Pharmaceuticals | Telehealth

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) have released the 2019 annual report for their Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program. The government recovered almost $3.6 billion, of which about $2.5 billion was returned to the Medicare trust fund. The recoveries included judgments and settlements from fraud

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FCC Increases Funding for Rural Telehealth Services
July 17, 2020 | Eric D. Fader | Behavioral Health | COVID-19 | Home Health | Hospitals | Legislation and Public Policy | Telehealth

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is adding $198 million in funding to the Rural Health Care Program to help healthcare providers acquire telecommunications and broadband services. The funding is in addition to $200 million that was allocated to the FCC’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). About

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Time to Prepare for Possible Medicaid Home Care Changes
July 9, 2020 | Wendy Hoey Sheinberg | Home Health | Legislation and Public Policy | Medicare and Medicaid | Nursing Homes

Community Medicaid Services will undergo a significant change on October 1, 2020, due to the passage of the New York State Budget Bill (“2020 Bill”). Although many of the changes in the 2020 Bill are subject to federal approval, this bulletin will offer an overview of what might be affected. You can take steps now

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VNSNY Agrees to $57 Million Settlement
June 29, 2020 | Eric D. Fader | False Claims Act | Fraud and Abuse | Home Health | Litigation | Medicare and Medicaid

The Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY) has agreed to pay $57 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit that alleged it billed the Medicare and Medicaid programs for hundreds of millions of dollars in home care visits that were not actually provided. The lawsuit, originally filed in 2014 by a former executive of VNSNY,

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Rivkin Radler Provides Business Briefing On Stark Law Waivers During COVID-19 Pandemic
April 14, 2020 | Rivkin Rounds Staff | COVID-19 | Fraud and Abuse | Home Health | Hospitals | Legislation and Public Policy | Medicare and Medicaid

In the latest installment of Rivkin Radler’s COVID-19 Business Briefing Series, held on April 14, Geoffrey Kaiser and Ada Kozicz presented on the recent issuance by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) of blanket Stark Law waivers for certain types of business arrangements, intended to help address the current health emergency. On

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COVID-19 Business Briefing: Telehealth
April 7, 2020 | Rivkin Rounds Staff | Behavioral Health | COVID-19 | Cybersecurity | HIPAA | Home Health | Hospitals | Legislation and Public Policy | Private Insurers | Telehealth

On April 6, Rivkin Radler’s Eric Fader presented a COVID-19 Business Briefing on Telehealth. The Briefing covered recent developments in federal and state law and policy, and changes in private insurers’ policies, that have been aimed at encouraging the use of telehealth during the current public health emergency.

This Business Briefing was the second in

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