Rebecca Morley, AGACNP, CCRN-CMC’s Post

Did you catch our first #generalpractice newsletter? Edited by Helen Matthews and Alison Oliver from our #primarycare team, we explore: 👉 some of the key provisions of the long-awaited NHS Premises Costs Directions 2024; 👉 process for negotiating a lease and offer five key recommendations; 👉 Armageddon clauses and how these affect your practice; 👉 key changes needed to your primary care network schedules following the publication of the new Network Contract DES; 👉 primary care network FAQs in a series of videos;  👉 the importance of succession planning and having a will in place that reflects your wishes. Read the full newsletter here - https://lnkd.in/ezYg7TBE Got a question? Our Primary Care team are here to help - and can be contacted here - https://lnkd.in/ek36qDca #legal #gp

🤝 Medical Properties Trust, Inc. and Steward Health Care Reach Key Transfer Agreement 🏥 Medical Properties Trust (MPW), the largest hospital landlord in the U.S., has reached an important agreement with Steward Health Care amidst Steward's bankruptcy proceedings. Here's a summary of the agreement and its implications: 🗓️ Key Dates: * Agreement Finalization: Expected by September 10. * Funding Commencement: MPW will start funding hospital operations on September 11. 📜 Agreement Highlights: * Interim Management: Steward's hospitals without buyers will be transferred to interim operators funded by MPW. * Hospitals Covered: The deal includes facilities outside Massachusetts and three hospitals in Florida that have already found buyers. * Massachusetts Facilities: Steward has found buyers for six hospitals in Massachusetts and will close two others in the state. ⚖️ Legal and Financial Details: * Litigation Resolution: Steward’s unsecured creditors will drop litigation aiming to recharacterize MPW's leases into debt financings, which would diminish MPW’s claims. * Settlement Terms: MPW will forgo claims for billions of dollars under one of its leases, while Steward will relinquish certain claims against MPW. * Dispute Resolution: The agreement will address disputes over how proceeds from hospital sales are divided and resolve issues related to potential hospital closures in Ohio and Pennsylvania. 🏥 Impact on Hospitals: * Closure Threats: Two Massachusetts hospitals are already slated for closure, and three more in Ohio and Pennsylvania face similar threats. The settlement aims to address these issues. * Operational Funding: Massachusetts has provided $30 million to keep six hospitals open through August. 💰 Financial Background: * Investment History: MPW has invested billions in Steward and its hospitals, including facilitating Cerberus Capital Management’s sale of a majority stake to Steward’s CEO, Ralph de la Torre. * Payments: Steward has paid $2 billion in rent to MPW over the years. 🔍 Ongoing Developments: * Buyers and Management: Steward has signed deals for three Massachusetts hospitals, totaling over $200 million. Interim operators for hospitals outside Massachusetts are yet to be identified. https://lnkd.in/gnbeebSD

Don't Miss this Webinar! ERISA, Medicare, and Medicaid: More of What You Never Wanted to Know This comprehensive CLE program offers essential insights and practical guidance for legal practitioners navigating the intricate landscape of liens affecting their clients' recovery. Delving into crucial aspects of lien management, our expert speakers will equip you with the fundamental knowledge and indispensable strategies necessary to effectively address and mitigate liens. From understanding the complexities of various lien types to mastering pivotal negotiation techniques, this program covers what you absolutely need to know to safeguard your clients' interests and optimize case outcomes. Join us as we demystify lien-related challenges and empower you with actionable insights to enhance your legal practice. Presenter: Helene E. Blank, Esq.  Blank & Star, PLLC Brooklyn, New York Register here: https://lnkd.in/eQZBivaB

When a Partner joins or leaves a GP Practice, it is a busy time for both the new Partner and the Partnership. There will inevitably be lots of paperwork to complete, but the title deeds can often be forgotten about. Title deeds provide ownership clarity and ensure that the Partnership does not need to call upon long-since retired/resigned Partners to assist when there are legal deeds to sign. Following new legislation, it is now essential that GP Practices take some action in relation to their title deeds when a Partner joins or leaves. In his latest article, Nathan Adam shares what you need to know about the Practice Premises when a Partner joins or leaves a GP Practice in Scotland. Follow the link to learn more: https://lnkd.in/eMJFt3_T #gp #healthcare #lawyersforbusiness

#hospital global budgets aim to “strengthen #primarycare, provide financial stability for #hospitals, improve care coordination, and increase screening and referrals to community resources like housing and transportation to address social drivers of health.” Global budgets are already working in rural Pennsylvania, Vermont & all of Maryland. And could be the ultimate cure for heated #PriorAuthorization friction because the money you are proposing to spend on that next admission or procedure is, well, your own money. #SDoH #AHEAD #CMS #HealthcareCosts #ValueBasedCare #PatientCenteredCare #HealthcareQuality #Medicare #MedicareAdvantage #Medicaid #MedicaidManagedCare #PublicPrivatePartnership #PublicPrivatePartnerships #HealthEquity

Big Client Win! In May 2023, AHCCCS commenced a massive, wholesale effort to suspend dozens of inpatient and outpatient substance use treatment providers offering services to the Native American Community. These “Credible Allegation of Fraud” or “CAF” suspensions were generally not based on individualized investigation, but rather unverified red flags generated solely by data analysis. These unjustified suspensions negatively impacted health care providers across the state by preventing them from getting paid during their investigations, despite no underlying investigation no less any final determinations. The suspended health care providers were entitled to a hearing on the CAF suspension, but the Office of Administrative Hearings routinely affirmed the suspensions or when a provider won, AHCCCS would reverse the decision. Given the massive amount of suspensions, AHCCCS was overwhelmed with work and was unable to commence investigations to determine if the suspension was warranted. Many suspended providers were forced to close their businesses solely because they could not sustain them without revenue over many months while AHCCCS found the time to investigate to clear their names.  Boesen & Snow has represented numerous suspended providers and has successfully reversed suspensions. Most recently, attorney Michael Raine at Boesen & Snow defended a Nurse Practitioner whose brief common association with a medical billing consultant that AHCCCS disfavors resulted in her suspension and a corresponding complaint to the Nursing Board. Working hand-in-hand with the provider, Boesen & Snow successfully demonstrated to AHCCCS that the provider had no connection to the billing company and that her services were professional and her claims were valid. AHCCCS relented and rescinded the suspension. This outcome is rare, but Boesen & Snow has successfully helped several health care providers in similar situations.  If you have received a CAF suspension or are under investigation by AHCCCS or DHS, contact Boesen & Snow today for a free initial consultation.

Remain independent or join a system? That’s the critical decision facing many hospitals today. In this article for the American Health Law Association, Jeff Hoffman and I discuss the factors leaders should consider when assessing the potential for success under each scenario. #mergersandacquisitions #strategicplanning #ECGMC

Queensland Duty Relief for Pharmacy Restructures: Limited in Scope With the new Pharmacy Business Ownership Act 2024, many pharmacy owners and their advisers will need to navigate duty consequences of complying with the new rules. The relief provided last week (see link in comments) seems quite narrow—focused on essential restructures to meet basic ownership and interest rules. Accountants and advisers may find the relief less than helpful for more extensive restructuring needs. For example, a discretionary trust that owns and operates a pharmacy business does not appear able to sell to a company and obtain duty relief, even if that company is wholly owned by a registered pharmacist who was also a beneficiary. For clients seeking a broader scope, the Small Business Restructure Relief (with a $5M turnover cap) might offer more flexibility.

Friends – Joel Swider and I have prepared the following health care real estate briefing for your review. Have a great week!   1. New CPI data shows that inflation eased up in April. The cost of goods and services increased 0.3% from March to April, which is down from 0.4% the previous month. The CPI has increased 3.4% year-to-date, down from 3.5% in March. This data “keeps alive the prospect of the Fed starting to cut rates in September,” according to Nationwide Chief Economist Kathy Bostjancic. 2. Jefferson Health and Lehigh Valley Health have signed an agreement to merge, creating a $14B enterprise. The merger is expected to close this summer, pending regulatory approvals. The combination will create an organization with 30 hospitals, 700 sites of care and 65,000 employees. 3. Kaiser Permanente announced plans to terminate a $500M, 240K sf facility near Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. A definitive answer on why the project will not move forward wasn’t provided. Kaiser plans to sell the 1.6-acre site it purchased in 2021 for $36M. 4. Children's Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center announced a gift of $100M from Jean and Mack Pogue that will be used to support the $5B new pediatric campus that the health care organizations are developing in Dallas, Texas. To recognize the Pogue family, the 33-acre site of the new campus will be named Pogue Park. 5. Hall Render is hiring! We are looking for attorneys with M&A, tax and real estate experience. For details go to HallRender.com 6. UnitedHealth Group has invested more than $1B in housing to address social determinants of health, according to a company announcement. Since 2011, the company’s investment has created 25,000 homes in 31 states. The investment in housing is a way for the company to reduce costs by avoiding unnecessary emergency room visits or hospitalization. 7. Financial strain on the skilled nursing industry is sparking a flurry of transaction activity. Skilled nursing facility deals increased more than 80% in Q1 of this year compared to the same time last year. In Q1, 57 nursing homes traded hands valued at $1.4B. 8. Construction costs for new hospital projects are up nearly 20% over the past five years. New hospital projects cost, on average, $445.26/sf to build. Labor costs, material availability and infection control protocols are driving up construction costs. 9. PAM Health announced plans to build four new rehabilitation hospitals in Loveland, CO; Bloomington, IN; Green Bay, WI; and Casper, WY. 10. Modern Healthcare published an article on how health care REITs impact providers and patients. Key takeaways: 1) there are 16 publicly traded health care REITs; 2) the largest health care REITs are Welltower™ Inc. (NYSE:WELL), Ventas, Inc. and Healthpeak Properties, Inc.; and 3) of the properties owned by health care REITs, 1/3 are senior living facilities, 1/3 are medical outpatient and 1/3 are skilled nursing and life science facilities.

🔑 Unlock the Secrets of Special Needs Trusts: Webinar with Erach Screwvala! 🌟 Join us on Thursday, June 20th at 2:00pm ET for an informative webinar featuring Erach Screwvala, LWP’s Legal-Technical Attorney. Gain an essential introduction to Special Needs Trusts and enhance your expertise! In this webinar, we will cover: ⚫ The various types of Special Needs Trusts ⚫ Eligibility requirements for establishing a Special Needs Trust ⚫ Key design considerations and restrictions ⚫ How to incorporate Special Needs Trusts into Medicaid planning By the end of this training, you’ll have a comprehensive understanding of Special Needs Trusts and be able to confidently incorporate them into your practice. We’ll also walk through completed documents to provide practical insights and real-world applications. 🚀 Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your practice! 🖊️ Register now to secure your spot: https://buff.ly/3KFNYIQ #SpecialNeedsTrusts #EstatePlanningAttorney #LegalTraining #MedicaidPlanning #EstatePlanning