Bass, Berry & Sims and the Tennessee Hospital Association hosted the Sixth Annual Nashville Healthcare Fraud Conference on December 2 and 3. Though typically an in-person event, this year's conference moved to a virtual platform. That move allowed for the addition of Day 1 primer sessions covering the basics of the False Claims Act, principles of an effective compliance program, how to deal with whistleblowers, and recent significant settlements under the Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute. The Day 2 sessions covered advanced topics ranging from a healthcare fraud and abuse year-in-review, the impact of the global pandemic on fraud enforcement from the perspective of healthcare providers and government officials, criminal healthcare fraud enforcement developments, and how to address compliance issues during a pandemic.
"Each year, we strive to put together content that we believe will greatly benefit members of the healthcare industry in gaining a deeper understanding of the fraud and abuse issues confronting them," said Brian Roark, chair of the Bass, Berry & Sims Healthcare Fraud Task Force. "There is no question that most healthcare providers are dealing with these types of issues daily, and the conference provides a forum to explore how providers, government regulators and outside counsel view these issues."
This year, more than 600 attendees participated in the conference from over 40 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to members of the Bass, Berry & Sims Healthcare Fraud Task Force, panelists participating in the conference included in-house attorneys and compliance professionals from Humana, Sanford Health, RWJBarnabas Health Systems, Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare, Saber Healthcare, Tenet Healthcare, Henry Ford Health System, naviHEALTH and Virtua Health, as well as several government attorneys from both the state and federal level.
"The virtual format for this year's conference allowed us to tap into the expertise of healthcare providers from all over the United States, as well as to hear from state and federal government attorneys," commented Matthew Curley, a member of the Bass, Berry & Sims Healthcare Fraud Task Force. "The diversity of viewpoints on key healthcare fraud and abuse issues has been the hallmark of this conference since its inception six years ago and this year's conference was no exception."
"With the number of changes in laws and regulations facing providers, this conference is an opportunity to discuss those developments with stakeholders from the government, industry, and outside counsel," added Anna Grizzle, a member of the Bass, Berry & Sims Healthcare Fraud Task Force. "We appreciate the dialogue and hope the audience found it beneficial to their work and practices."
The Healthcare Fraud Conference complements the Bass, Berry & Sims Healthcare Fraud & Abuse Review, published at the beginning of each year. The annual Review provides one of the most comprehensive overviews of healthcare fraud and abuse issues and includes False Claims Act developments, a Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute update, enforcement trends in the pharmaceutical and device industries, and a settlement chart covering all of the False Claims Act settlements from the preceding year.
A recording of the conference can be accessed here
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