Post-Acute & Long-Term Care

Hall Render's Post-Acute and Long-Term Care section is focused primarily on providing services to nursing facilities, home health agencies, hospice providers and related entities, such as assisted living facilities. As the services provided by nursing facilities and hospices become more integrated, the range of services we offer has increased significantly to accommodate this new trend. Our approach with this unique segment of providers is two-fold: (1) guiding the providers through legal and/or regulatory processes; and (2) acting as a liaison between the governmental and regulatory agencies that oversee the operations and activities of nursing facilities, home health agencies and hospices.

Upon request, we provide onsite visits and/or risk assessment tool kits to nursing facilities that allow them to objectively evaluate the areas of their operations that are subject to strict scrutiny by state and federal agencies. This is no longer an optional activity because Medicare-participating nursing facilities are now required under the Medicare requirements to institute compliance. Our attorneys also draft and review contracts, agreements and policies and procedures between nursing facilities and hospices for conformance with the rules and regulations governing the relationship between these entities. An important part of compliance is up-to-date information; therefore, we provide timely alerts to our clients to keep them apprised of significant changes in the rules and regulations as they become available.

For providers seeking to respond to allegations of noncompliance from state and federal agencies, we provide multilevel assistance. At the state level, our post-acute and long-term care attorneys are experienced with preparing, reviewing and submitting plans of correction and informal dispute resolutions in response to alleged survey improprieties; investigating alleged deficiencies; and negotiating favorable settlement agreements for the imposition of denials of payments from federal and state reimbursement programs and any associated fines or remedies. Importantly, we also have extensive knowledge of the state and federal appeals processes, which has resulted in favorable outcomes for our clients. Routinely, we represent clients before the Departmental Appeals Board, Medicaid administrators, Administrative Law Judges and Medicare contractors. We have developed solid relationships with representatives of state and federal agencies, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, that have proven to be invaluable to our clients.

The Post-Acute and Long-Term Care section also offers the skill set required for effecting changes of ownership to ensure a smooth transition in these transactions. We prepare and file the necessary forms and notifications pursuant to the local, state and federal mandates. Timely and accurate filings, as well as continued follow-up, ensure our clients remain compliant and enjoy uninterrupted reimbursement, when applicable.

Please visit Hall Render's Long-Term Care, Home Health & Hospice blog focusing on Medicare, Medicaid and health care reform. In addition to sharing relevant news, it also addresses common questions surrounding compliance, provider specifications and the overall impact of health care reform.