Waltz Quoted on Medicare Fraud Case

Partner Judy Waltz was quoted in a Modern Healthcare article, “Feds Will Appeal Loss in Medicare Fraud Case Over Hospice Eligibility,” on May 27, 2016. The article discussed the federal government’s appeal of a ruling in a health care fraud case involving hospice care provider AseraCare and disagreements between doctors over patients’ eligibility for hospice care. Waltz said the appeal by the government isn’t surprising, and said if the appeals court rules against AseraCare, it could be an issue for hospices and other providers. She was quoted saying, “I agree that an unsupported diagnosis or assessment isn’t appropriate but if there’s documentation that supports the decision, then I think there really needs to be … a real deference to the treating physician or attending physician, the person who’s actually there.”