2024 FAHCS Annual Meeting & Exhibit Show

Jul 31 - Aug 1, 2024

Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld

Orlando, FL

Medtrade Expo + Conference

Mar 26-28, 2024 

Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center

Dallas, TX

Ultra low SmartSaver registration rates for Medtrade 2024 are now in effect. With SmartSaver Rates:

• an Expo pass is $30 (available through 1/22/24); and
• a Conference pass is $125 (available through 1/22/24).

“A Conference pass provides access to all educational sessions, the Expo floor, and the Consultant Cocktail Hour,” says Kerry Tyler, associate show director, Medtrade. “At $125, it’s an incredible deal. Whether you want the Expo pass or the Conference pass, now is the time to take advantage.”

SmartSaver Rates are in effect through Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. Medtrade 2024 is scheduled for March 26-28, 2024 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. “Exhibitor sign-ups are strong and we anticipate a vibrant show in 2024,” Tyler adds. “We believe Medtrade is the perfect place to jump start the new year.”

Medtrade is the largest home medical equipment trade show and conference in the US. Medtrade features a large expo floor filled with the leading home medical equipment manufacturers, HME technology, and personal health products. Hundreds of HME manufacturers and thousands of HME providers join us each year for the largest annual sourcing opportunity for home medical equipment, and find the HME products to satisfy today’s growing demand in an ever-changing environment. 

2024 ACU-Serve Educational series. Compliance Matters: Understanding, Building, and Monitoring Your
Compliance Program

This event will be held Thursday, January 25, 2024, from 1:00 – 2:00 EST.

Join ACU-Serve’s very own Noel Neil, Vice President of Auditing and Corporate Compliance, who will be speaking and Sarah Hanna, ACU-Serve’s Vice President of Consulting Services, who will host the event.

This essential session focuses on the importance of having an effective compliance program and why it is crucial for healthcare providers billing Medicare. We'll explore the HHS OIG's Compliance Program Guidance Documents (CPGs) and cover key topics like the elements and benefits of an effective compliance program, and practical approaches to tailor these programs for any size supplier. Learn the importance of self-monitoring your company's compliance in billing claims, ensuring accuracy and adherence to regulations. At ACU-Serve, we emphasize that 'Compliance Matters!' and aim to equip you with vital knowledge and strategies for maintaining compliance in the healthcare industry. Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your compliance practices.

Just click the button below, to purchase your FREE ticket. If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Hanna.

Fraud Is Risky Business for Everyone

A jury recently convicted Dr. Henry Watson of charges for accepting kickbacks in exchange for patient referrals. His conviction makes it clear that when providers engage in fraud, everyone involved is at risk for enforcement action. Charges against Watson were part of enforcement taken against Amity Home Health Care, which was formerly the largest home health care provider in the Bay Area, and Advent Care, Inc., a hospice.

The jury found that Watson engaged in three health care kickback arrangements from 2013 to 2019, including:

1. A conspiracy in which Watson agreed to refer patients to Amity Home Health Care in exchange for illegal kickback payments

2. Accepting kickback payments from an undercover FBI agent posing as a representative of a home health agency

3. A conspiracy between Watson and others to falsely certify individuals repeatedly for home health services paid for by the Medicare Program that individuals did not need

Federal Criminal Complaints were filed against thirty defendants in the San Francisco area based on a “patients-for-cash” kickback scheme. All of the complaints centered on Amity Home Health Care and Advent Care, Inc. Under the leadership of Ridhima “Amanda” Singh, Chief Executive Officer, the federal government claimed that Amity and Advent paid kickbacks to discharge planners/case managers at hospitals, and social workers at skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), among others, in exchange for referrals.

The Criminal Complaints say that, in exchange for referrals of home health and hospice patients, discharge planners/case managers in hospitals and SNFs received:

1. Cash periodically delivered in envelopes

2. Gift cards ranging in value from $2,000 to $5,000

3. Handbags from Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Nordstrom

4. All-expenses-paid trips to Napa, California

These alleged payments and gifts clearly violated the federal anti-kickback statute. This statute generally prohibits anyone from either offering to give or actually giving anything to anyone in order to induce referrals.

A physician involved in these arrangements has now been convicted. His conviction makes it clear that everyone involved in fraudulent conduct is at risk for enforcement action. No exceptions

©2024 Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq. All rights reserved. No portion of this material may be reproduced in any form without the advance written permission of the author.