HLP News and Events

Published on: September 13, 2018

ROBERT S. IWREY SELECTED AS SUPER LAWYER, AND JESSICA L. GUSTAFSON AND AARON J. BERESH SELECTED AS RISING STARS

The HLP is proud to announce that three HLP attorneys were recognized by Super Lawyers in healthcare for 2018: Robert S. Iwrey, Esq., (Super Lawyer); Jessica Gustafson, Esq. (Super Lawyer Rising Star); and Aaron Beresh, Esq. (Super Lawyer Rising Star). Super Lawyers uses a patented multiphase selection process of vetting nominations, conducting independent research, performing peer evaluations and making final selections that are limited to the top 5% of attorneys. HLP congratulates Robert, Jessica and Aaron on this achievement.

Published on: May 5, 2017

Please Join The HLP at The 2017 Physicians Legal Issues Conference in Chicago, Illinois

By The Health Law Partners

The Health Law Partners (HLP) is proud to be part of the upcoming Physician Legal Issues Conference co-sponsored by the American Bar Association Health Law Section and Chicago Medical Society. The conference will take place at the Intercontinental Hotel in Chicago on June 8-9, 2017. Adrienne Dresevic, Esq., a founding partner of the HLP, is Co-Chairing the conference this year. Abby Pendleton, Esq., a founding partner of the HLP, will be a featured speaker at the conference. Ms. Pendleton’s speech is titled, Your Practice is Being Audited: Complying, Fighting and Winning. Her session addresses key issues when facing an audit including: appeals processes and auditors’ concepts, considerations affecting the decision to appeal, successful strategies for appeals, and using the audit to enhance future compliance. Attend the conference to learn the latest on health reform, payor alignment, clinical integration, and other issues that impact the legal profession. Programming includes topics such as: Stark Law, Health Reform, Anti-Kickback, and more!

To the view the brochure with program details please click here. To register for the conference please click here.

Published on: May 10, 2016

Join Clinton Mikel of The Health Law Partners for Politico’s “Outside, In: Unhealthy Hacking: Medical Privacy in the Age of Cyber Attacks”

By The Health Law Partners

On Tuesday, May 10, 2016, Clinton Mikel, a Partner at The Health Law Partners and Chairman of the eHealth, Privacy and Security Interest Group of the American Bar Association Health Law Section, will be a guest speaker at Politico’s “Outside, In: Unhealthy Hacking: Medical Privacy in the Age of Cyber Attacks,” a live event featuring leading voices in health care, technology, and policy discussing privacy and cybersecurity in the healthcare sector.

In addition to Clinton Mikel, panelists include Texas Representative Will Hurd, Leslie Krigstein, VP of CHIME (College of Healthcare Information Management Executives), and Deven McGraw, Deputy Director for Health Information Privacy, HHS Office for Civil Rights, among others.

Among the issues the panelists will address are the following: Can health care providers afford security? Is the cyber-kidnapping of hospitals the new normal? Is greater health information exchange going to lead expanded, dangers/hacks? Is the need to secure records another driver toward consolidation in health care, because of the costs? Do we need more congressional or regulatory action to assure our records are safe and secure?

Politico will live stream the May 10 event at http://www.POLITICO.com/live beginning at 5:30 p.m. EST.
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Published on: April 7, 2016

American Bar Association’s Physicians Legal Issues Conference on June 9-10, 2016, in Chicago, IL.

By The Health Law Partners

Adrienne Dresevic, Esq., of The Health Law Partners, PC, and Kathleen DeBruhl of DeBruhl Haynes, The Health Law Group, are pleased to announce the American Bar Association Health Law Section’s Physicians Legal Issues Conference on June 9-10, 2016, in Chicago, Illinois. This annual conference is attended by both attorneys and physicians and is held in conjunction with the Chicago Medical Society and the American Association for Physician Leadership.

This year’s theme is “Thriving in a Time of Change: Attorneys and Physicians Working Together”. Physicians continue to face challenging odds in a rapidly evolving healthcare market–whether remaining independent, adapting to “employment” by an integrated system, or addressing consolidated payer markets with little or no negotiating power. This unique conference offers physicians, attorneys and their administrative partners an opportunity to hear how these issues are being addressed by physicians and how physicians can succeed at maintaining viable medical practices that offer quality services at their core.

Physicians and their legal counsel will have access to national speakers and will be educated on key issues affecting employer and hospital relationships, business and industry responses to payer consolidation and market control, and every day “survival” techniques in hospital and private practice settings. Whether you are a physician or entering the field of healthcare law, this conference will provide valuable insight and strategies that can improve your practice.
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Published on: April 6, 2016

Adrienne Dresevic and Clinton Mikel Earn the “Pulitzer Prize” of Legal Writing

By The Health Law Partners

Please join The Health Law Partners, P.C., in congratulating Adrienne Dresevic (a Founding Shareholder), and Clinton Mikel (a Partner), for earning what has been described as the “Pulitzer Prize of Legal Writing”.

The Burton Award for Distinguished Legal Writing, which is run in association with the Library of Congress and co-sponsored by the American Bar Association, is earned each year by 35 exceptional authors nationwide.

Submissions for the Distinguished Legal Writing Award are extremely competitive. The award is generally selected by professors from Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, Stanford Law School, and Columbia Law School, among others.

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Published on: March 14, 2016

“Physician Contracting Workshop,” presented by Robert S. Iwrey, Esq.

By The Health Law Partners

“Physician Contracting Workshop,” presented by Robert S. Iwrey, Esq., Oakland County Medical Society, March 2, 2016, Bloomfield Hills, MI.
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Published on: February 9, 2016

Medicare Appeals Delay Case Moves Forward

By The Health Law Partners

As many hospitals, as well as other health care providers and suppliers with pending requests for ALJ hearing are acutely aware, lengthy adjudication delays exist within the Medicare appeals process. These delays are most significant at the third level of appeal, i.e., the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) stage of appeal.

On May 22, 2014, the American Hospital Association (AHA), together with three hospitals, filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, requesting mandamus relief, compelling the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to act within the statutorily required timeframes. Disappointing appellants nationwide, the District Court entered a decision mandamus relief was not warranted.

However, following an appeal of the lower court’s decision, on February 9, 2016, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia reversed the decision and remanded the case back to the District Court for further consideration. A copy of the February 9, 2016 order is accessible here: http://www.aha.org/advocacy-issues/legal/litigation.shtml.

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Published on: January 22, 2016

2016 Top Health Care Lawyers

By The Health Law Partners

The HLP is proud to announce that two of its attorneys, Robert S. Iwrey and Alan G. Gilchrist, were recently named as 2016 Top Lawyers in Health Care Law by Detroit’s premier business journal, DBusiness. DBusiness conducted a peer review survey polling 19,000 attorneys in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw and Livingston Counties in Michigan and 39 health care attorneys were given the award of 2016 Top Lawyer based on the nominations received. Both Mr. Iwrey and Mr. Gilchrist have received such recognition multiple times over the years.

Published on: December 9, 2015

AFIRM Act Seeks to Improve the Medicare Audit and Appeals Process

By The Health Law Partners

On December 9, 2015, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) introduced Senate Bill 2368, the Audit & Appeal Fairness, Integrity, and Reforms in Medicare (AFIRM) Act of 2015. The purpose and goal of AFIRM is to improve the Medicare audit and appeals process by reducing the burden on providers and implement reforms to the Medicare audit and appeals process.

In fiscal year 2014, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), conducted audits of more than one billion claims in an effort to curb approximately $60 billion in improper Medicare payments. This many audits has resulted in a corresponding number of appeals leading to a backlog of nearly one million claims causing a near two year backlog.

Among the many ways that AFIRM seeks to resolve this backlog are the following:

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Published on: October 21, 2015

Recent Increase in NCI ZPIC Audit Activity

By The Health Law Partners

In the last few weeks, we have seen a flurry of activity in Zone Program Integrity Contractor (“ZPIC”) audits for the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”). Recently, many providers – and home health agencies, in particular – have received ZPIC audit notifications from NCI, Inc. (“NCI”) In April 2015, CMS awarded NCI the ZPIC contract for Zone 3, which covers Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. NCI is charged with performing program integrity investigations, making coverage and coding determinations, implementing administrative actions, coordinating fraud and abuse mitigation activities, developing a list of entities requiring monitoring, and assisting in the investigation and prosecution of fraud and abuse cases.
Home health agencies are under major scrutiny, and it appears that NCI has turned its attention to combating fraud and abuse in the home health arena. Any providers and suppliers who have received a ZPIC audit notification should contact an experienced healthcare attorney to assist you with the process. The Health Law Partners are experienced in working with providers and suppliers through the ZPIC audit process. For more information, please contact Adrienne Dresevic, Esq., at adresevic@thehlp.com or (248) 996-8510.