Update on the Hertel & Brown Case: Guilty Pleas, Trial Outcomes, and What Therapy Clinics Need to Learn

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Significant developments have occurred since the March 2025 blog on “The Hertel & Brown Case: Harsh Reminders for Therapy Clinics.” The federal case against Hertel & Brown Physical and Aquatic Therapy has reached a turning point. With guilty pleas from the owners and sentencing dates approaching, this case is no longer just about uncovering fraud; it is about what the fallout means for outpatient therapy clinics across the country. Key Developments Guilty Pleas from Leadership…

Updates on MDS Diagnoses as of October 1, 2024: Important Information, Including Details on Sepsis

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Starting October 1, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented updates to the Minimum Data Set (MDS) that directly affect how diagnoses are captured and coded in Section I, Active Diagnoses. These updates matter because they impact reimbursement, care planning, and regulatory compliance. If you have not revisited your diagnosis coding process recently, now is the time. Who is Qualified to Diagnose, and Where to Find these Diagnoses? Understanding who can diagnose…

Open Payment™ Database – Is Your Organization Prepared for the June 30 Release?

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June 30 marks an important milestone in healthcare transparency: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) releases updates to the Open Payments™ Database. The Open Payments™ Database houses information on payments made to physicians and teaching hospitals by drug, device, biological, and medical supply manufacturers—known as Reporting Entities. This is important because it fosters transparency of financial relationships by disclosing payments made by pharmaceutical and medical device companies to physicians.  It is a backstop…