As part of OIG’s ongoing efforts to fight waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare, Medicaid, and more than 100 other HHS programs, it recently released a report identifying vulnerabilities to fraud and poor care. The new report covers hospice care since 2005 and increases in utilization and reimbursement. OIG made more than a dozen recommendations…

On July 18, the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Labor-Management Standards issued a final rule rescinding the so-called “persuader rule,” a controversial Obama-era regulation requiring employers to disclose advice received about labor unions. Specifically, the persuader rule altered the advice exemption under the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, interfering with both employers’ access…

Food service operations in senior living communities are increasingly getting attention as a source of competitive advantage. David Koelling, president of Strategic Dining Services, a dining service and hospitality management provider, knows the strategic importance of the dining operation. “For many operators, dining is the number one controllable expense, and the biggest driver of resident…

The House of Representatives is slated to pass over 59 bills coming from five different oversight committees addressing the opioid crisis.  The Senate Finance Committee has also unanimously approved legislation that combines 22 bills recently introduced by committee members.  The Senate opioid package includes provisions that would expand telehealth access for addiction treatment, remove lifetime…

In response to recent efforts by labor unions to garner support for stripping workers’ rights to secret ballots and private voting in union elections, in advance of the mid-term elections, Argentum joined Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW) in strong opposition of S. 2810, the Workplace Democracy Act (WDA).  This far-reaching legislation would: Strip workers’…

To ensure that capital for senior housing (including assisted living, memory care residences, and CCRCs) is not excluded from TCJA interest deduction provisions, Argentum along with other allied senior housing partners are working with Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) to clarify the intent of the Senate Finance Committee…

The Trump Administration and some GOP members have expressed interest in a second tax reform measure that would address technical corrections to H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), among other tax provisions advocated by GOP members. Additionally, House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) has announced intentions to advance a health…

The recent announcement by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to push forward judicial and administration nominations along with legislative priorities will force the 24 Democratic Senate incumbents and two Independents up for re-election to alter their campaign schedules. Of these 26 seats, 10 are in states that President Trump won in 2016.  Of the…

ARIZONA Sober Living Homes (HB 2529) Requires a referral agency to disclose any prospective resident who is referred to an assisted living community, the business relationship between the referral agency and the community, and the fee the agency receives for referrals; and The community must also disclose if they work with a referral agency to residents.…

With the planned retirement of House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), mid-term elections, and President Trump’s campaign pledge not to cut Social Security and Medicare, House and Senate GOP members have indicated that the possibility of entitlement reform this year or in the next Congress is very slim.  House members discussed their skepticism at a recent…