Bass, Berry & Sims attorney Anna Grizzle commented on the proposed nursing home discounts for long-term care insurers in an article for the Bloomberg BNA Health Law Resource Center. There was concern that the proposed arrangement could lead to improper Medicare and Medicaid beneficiary inducements. The Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) released an opinion in December 2017 approving the proposed arrangement. As Anna stresses, however, “Providers looking to form these networks should ensure they are structured appropriately to avoid the significant risks that can arise if the OIG believes the arrangement is less about access to quality care and more about influencing federal health-care program beneficiaries.”
The full article, “Nursing Home Insurer Discounts Get Federal OK, May Spark Trend,” was published in the Bloomberg BNA Health Law Resource Center on December 22, 2017, and is available online.