Executive Contacts
In January, the American Health Law Association (AHLA) published its annual “Top 10 Issues in Health Law” article in Health Law Connections magazine. The article covers issues such as surprise billing, antitrust, ransomware, and more. Similar to last year’s article, AHLA will run a series of podcasts addressing each of the 10 topics. In this series, PYA thought leaders join other health law experts for in-depth discussions on the impact such issues have on the healthcare industry.
Below are the topics for the series.
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Full Disclosure—Surprise Billing and Hospital Price Transparency in 2022 In an effort to promote greater transparency for consumers of healthcare, Congress, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and several states have implemented laws and regulations related to price transparency and surprise billing. PYA Principal Bob Paskowski moderates this podcast covering:
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Provider M&A Faces New Antitrust Headwinds While the antitrust agencies have had a successful program of enforcement against healthcare mergers throughout prior presidential administrations—including bringing several successful court challenges—the Biden Executive Order, as well as recent agency statements and actions, signal a major shift in the way that the agencies (in particular the FTC) will approach provider mergers going into 2022 and beyond. This podcast, moderated by PYA Principal Michael Ramey, covers:
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Pandemic-Related Enforcement and Oversight The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in an unprecedented array of measures to provide relief, assistance, and monetary protections for Americans, businesses, and healthcare systems and providers, among others. With any funding mechanism of substantial size, post-hoc enforcement is inevitable. Targets of enforcement activities would be wise to have a response plan and to maintain important communications. Such efforts may help providers minimize the risk of a negative post-hoc audit. PYA Principal Tynan Kugler moderates this podcast, which covers:
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Healthcare Workforce Employment Law Issues to Watch in 2022 We thought 2020 was unprecedented, but healthcare employers were faced with new challenges in employment law as the world adapted to COVID-19 in 2021. The introduction of vaccines led to workforce dilemmas, and the shift to the new “normal” called for industry regulation regarding the safety and welfare of healthcare employees. Four issues for healthcare employers to watch in 2022 are discussed in this podcast moderated by PYA Managing Principal of Compliance Advisory Lori Foley:
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Beware, Ransomware: Considerations When System Access Exceeds the Value of the (Digital) Assets Ransomware is a current darling of cybercriminals for a broad array of industries, and for good reason: the return on investment from extortion can be extraordinary. The healthcare industry is particularly vulnerable because the value and importance of having access to data are separate from, and often greater than, the inherent value of the data itself. PYA Principal Barry Mathis moderates this podcast, which addresses:
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The Healthcare Workforce IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility) Diversity and inclusion in the healthcare workplace can carry several benefits, such as higher employee morale, better recruitment and retention, more creative problem solving through varied perspectives, and better care for the community. The conversation around what constitutes diversity and how to achieve it will continue to evolve in 2022. It is important to remain up-to-date on the laws regulating this area to avoid pitfalls. PYA Principal and Chief Operating Officer Mouzhan Mangum moderates this podcast, which identifies three areas to watch:
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Securing the Supply Chain for Healthcare Providers In the early days of the pandemic, many healthcare providers, their workers, and patients experienced first-hand the impact of supply chain disruption. In some parts of the country, supply chain issues left surging hospitals without enough PPE or ventilators to care for those infected with COVID-19. Today, challenges with the supply chain persist. PYA Principal Michael Ramey also moderates this podcast discussion. Topics include:
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Behavioral Health Transactions Outlook for 2022 Already one of the most active sectors in healthcare mergers and acquisitions for a number of years, behavioral health was propelled to the forefront by COVID-19’s challenge to our collective mental health and wellbeing. PYA Principal Jane Jerzak moderates this podcast discussion, which takes a look at the repercussions:
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Towards a Common Definition for Value-Based Arrangements At the end of 2020, the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) and CMS released companion final rules that provided a construct of “value-based care” by which we can understand what regulators and enforcement agencies believe this phrase means. With the creation of new safe harbors under the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) and new exceptions under the Stark Law designed to facilitate value-based arrangements, CMS and the OIG have established a common paradigm under which providers and regulators can operate. PYA Principal and Director of PYA’s Center for Rural Health Advancement Martie Ross moderates this podcast. Items addressed include:
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COVID Is a Catalyst for APP Expansion In the coming year, Advanced Practice Professionals (APPs) are expected to see significant expanded opportunities both in scope of services and their level of independence in the clinical and business end of providing services. During COVID, APPs, facilitated by the COVID waivers, have demonstrated their value in ensuring access and continuity of care. However, they also face considerable uncertainty about their status as waivers expire. PYA Principal Valerie Rock moderates this podcast, which examines:
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If you would like assistance with any of these topics or any matter involving strategy and integration, compliance, or valuation, one of our executive contacts would be happy to assist. You may email them below, or call (800) 270-9629.
