The HIPAA "OMNIBUS" Is Leaving Soon! Practical Steps for a Smooth Departure for Your Hospice

Take the practical (not the panicked!) route to HIPAA compliance. Reinhart hosted a webinar - PowerPoint and recording - to inform you about what you need to do to be ready for the September 23, 2013 compliance deadline, including:

• Key Compliance "To-Do's"
  • Changes needed to the Notice of Privacy Practices
  • Updates to consider for your Business Associate Agreements
  • Implementing the new fundraising "opt-out" process
  • Operationalizing the new "breach" standard
• Post-September 23rd Planning
  • Tips for operationalizing HITECH-HIPAA changes
  • What you need to know about the current HIPAA enforcement focus

Who Should Attend:

• Hospice CEOs/Executive Directors
• Hospice Compliance Staff/Privacy Officers
• Hospice Directors of Development

Presenters:

Meg S.L. Pekarske has devoted her legal practice to serving the ever-changing legal needs of the hospice industry. As co-chair of Reinhart's Hospice and Palliative Care Practice Group, she manages the firm's hospice practice. In working day in and day out with hospice clients across the country, Ms. Pekarske is intimately familiar with the operational challenges of hospices and has the experience to address the full spectrum of legal issues facing the industry, from routine regulatory compliance issues to multi-million dollar Zone Program Integrity Contractor (ZPIC), Medicaid and other government audits. Additionally, Ms. Pekarske routinely advises hospices on palliative care program development, innovative inpatient unit structures, fraud investigations and a wide range of contracting issues. With an extensive background in long-term care, she brings a unique perspective and skill set to helping hospices create successful partnerships with nursing homes and assisted living facilities and providing quality end-of-life care to patients.

Heather L. Fields is a shareholder in the firm's Health Care Practice and the Tax-Exempt Organizations group. She addresses a wide variety of health care regulatory and transactional issues in her practice but has extensive experience in compliance matters, including designing and implementing corporate compliance programs, assessing compliance program effectiveness. She also advises clients regarding internal and external investigations, audits and corrective action plans, all aspects of HIPAA compliance, clinical research compliance, and 340B compliance. She has assisted clients in preparing and negotiating OIG disclosures and refunding overpayments, as well as counseling clients with respect to fraud and abuse issues that arise in the context of various health care provider relationships and transactions. She is Certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC) and is a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP).