The United States Department of Justice and the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General announced numerous charges against health care providers for approximately $4.5 billion in allegedly false claims involving telehealth and telemedicine. The charges come as part of the DOJ’s 2020 National Health Care Fraud and Opioid takedown.

IndyBar will be offering free wills to Indy-area residents who cannot afford an attorney on Tuesday, November 10. This offering was originally being offered exclusively to veterans in conjunction with Veteran’s Day; however, we have a few openings still available so we are opening the opportunity up to all residents subject to meeting financial requirements at 150% of the Federal Poverty guidelines.

As 2020 ticks to a close, IndyBar sections and divisions are in the process of evaluating their committee rosters and determining vacancies for 2021. Now is the perfect time to indicate your interest in serving on a committee. While space is limited, every effort will be made to involve anyone expressing interest in some capacity.

A recent HHS-OIG report found that Medicare Advantage paid $2.6 billion per year for diagnoses unrelated to any clinical services, fueled by businesses who generate revenue through identifying additional patient diagnoses after conducting health risk assessments. Foreshadowing the federal government’s enforcement priorities in this area, Principal Deputy Inspector General Christi Grimm identifies two main causes for concern with providers “gaming the system” through health risk assessments.

The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare (CMS) issued new guidance for nursing homes and clinical laboratories in the battle against COVID-19. Testing is now mandatory for nursing home staff and residents.

Every year, millions of people voluntarily submit their DNA for analysis to companies like 23andMe and Ancestry.com, who then provide a report based on the DNA submitted and store the genetic information in their proprietary database. Amid private equity bids to acquire those databases, California recently joined just 24 other states in protecting consumers’ rights to disclosure of their genetic information with the most comprehensive state legislation to date. 

Telemedicine, which has seen an uptick of 340 percent for Medicare beneficiaries, is being coupled with wearable technology to help monitor COVID-19 cases while paving the way for more efficient administration of healthcare.

In light of the decreasing frequency of healthcare transactions, experts weigh in on the factors associated with how home health agencies can maximize their value to potential buyers.

Indianapolis Hall Render attorneys discuss and distill major provisions of CMS's Hospital Outpatient System and Ambulatory Surgical Center Proposed Rule for 2021. 

The nomination period has begun for the 2021 Board of Directors of the Indianapolis Bar Association, and Kelley Johnson of the Law Office of Kelley J. Johnson LLP  has been appointed to chair the effort. Johnson, who is a past president of the Indianapolis Bar Foundation, will lead a committee of members in selecting a slate of officers for the coming year.