We are pleased to share the following summary about the Tennessee Business Relief Program. Key takeaways are: The money does not have to be paid back Revenue hopes to start disbursing in early July Unlike PPP and other relief programs, there is no application. A huge shout-out for the excellent summary to Jim Schmidt and Sharon Michie from the Tennessee’s Brewer’s Guild ...
Amid the unprecedented changes wracking the business world in 2020, one certainty remains: many industries will look very different in future years as strategic responses to COVID-19 gain traction and become permanent. In the healthcare REIT sector, we are beginning to see trends that may shape industry norms long after the dust has settled from the chaos of 2020. 1 ...
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has extended the executive order allowing drive-through, carryout and delivery of beer, wine and spirits for restaurants. Read Executive Order 50 here. Restaurants, limited-service restaurants and wine-only restaurants can continue to sell carryout and deliver alcoholic beverages and beer. There is no additional license or permission needed to deliver ...
Metro Nashville has issued clarifying guidance for re-entering revised Phase Two, which begins July 3, 2020. Citing the spike in cases reported after the Memorial Day holiday, Mayor Cooper intends to prevent a new outbreak from large crowds celebrating the Fourth of July in Nashville’s Lower Broad. Dr ...
CHALLENGE Promise Healthcare Group, LLC was one of the nation’s largest healthcare providers focused on post-acute care services. The investor-owned company operated two freestanding medical-surgical hospitals, 14 long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs), and two skilled nursing facilities. The company also had 45 affiliates across eight states ...
The impacts of COVID-19 appear set to permanently expand telehealth and fundamentally transform how and where providers practice. Shortly after the start of the pandemic, CMS made major temporary federal policy changes in response to the pandemic, including expanding access to telehealth services for people with Medicare, such as home health visits, and reimbursement for additional services when furnished via telehealth ...
The use of telehealth skyrocketed during the COVID-19 public health emergency, as many regulatory barriers restricting its use were temporarily removed at the federal and state level and by private payors. Providers and patients adapted to the changes and are now relying on these flexibilities to deliver and receive high quality virtual care. This rapid expansion of the use of telehealth has ignited the need for permanent telehealth reform ...
On June 25, five federal regulatory agencies, including the federal banking agencies,[1] finalized changes to the Volcker rule that reduce margin requirements for derivatives trades and loosen restrictions on banking entities’ ability to invest in, sponsor or maintain certain relationships with hedge funds and private equity funds — known as “covered funds” under the Volcker rule ...
When I became a judicial law clerk right out of law school, my boss, a federal judge in Houston, Texas, explained to me that the goal of his job (and therefore mine) was to find the right answer and do the right thing. That was, in a sense, easy enough. Research the law, and figure out how it applies to the particular facts of each case — because following the law is the right thing to do. Of course, judges will disagree about how the law should apply ...
Virginia is now the first state in the nation to enact mandatory occupational safety standards regarding COVID-19. The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry’s health and safety board voted 9-2 on July 15 to adopt an “Emergency Temporary Standard” which requires employers to implement measures to protect employees from COVID-19 ...
Since the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Provider Relief Funds (PRF) first started arriving in provider bank accounts on April 10, 2020, HHS has stated that it will issue additional guidance “soon” on mandatory reporting requirements on how use of funds must be reported. The PRF funds are among the funds Congress appropriated to reimburse eligible healthcare providers for healthcare-related expenses or lost revenues attributable to COVID-19 ...
As healthcare providers pursue transactions during and in the wake of COVID-19, both buyers and targets should prepare for heightened scrutiny during the due diligence process. Getting organized ahead of a sale can dramatically expedite timelines and reduce deal fatigue for all parties, particularly in light of the heavier-than-normal due diligence process as a result of the pandemic. Click here for a full PDF of this report ...
COVID-19 is having a transformational impact on American workplaces, which has short- and long-term consequences. Waller partners Bo Campbell and Aron Karabel join this episode to address the transformation. Campbell, a leader on Waller's real estate team, discusses the impacts on commercial leasing and how the work-from-home phenomenon will impact office trends and future development projects. Here is a transcript of the conversation: Morgan Ribeiro, Host Welcome to PointByPoint ...
A new reimbursement model intended to address healthcare access and availability in rural communities was introduced by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center. The Community Health Access and Rural Transformation (CHART) Model will “provide up-front investments and predictable, capitated payments that pay for quality and patient outcomes,” according to CMS ...
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has signed into law the Tennessee COVID-19 Recovery Act which provides liability protection from claims related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Waller Government Relations team worked closely with the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry and various stakeholders in recent months to achieve passage of the Tennessee COVID-19 Recovery Act ...
Executive summary The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges for smaller hospitals and health systems. It has presented significant challenges to smaller, less capitalized and otherwise distressed healthcare providers. In terms of operating performance, half of our country’s hospitals reported negative margins as Q1 of 2020 ...
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has extended the executive order allowing carryout and delivery of beer, wine and spirits for restaurants. Restaurants, limited-service restaurants and wine-only restaurants can continue to sell carryout and deliver alcoholic beverages and beer. There is no additional license or permission needed to deliver. Lee extended the privilege through to 11:59 pm September 30, which brings welcome certainty to an industry battered by the pandemic ...
In a year that has already seen explosive growth in the alternative initial public offering space, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has gotten approval to allow companies to raise capital through a primary direct listing on the NYSE. The NYSE submitted its proposal relating to direct primary listings in November 2019, and had amended the proposal twice in an effort to satisfy the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which is the NYSE's primary regulator ...
As the world begins to adjust to the short and long-term impact and implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies are seeking ways to preserve cash on their balance sheets while simultaneously raising funds to ensure a continuation of operations. One option to consider is using the company’s intellectual property (IP) portfolio as collateral for funding ...
Historically, telehealth services were limited both in reimbursement and location. Most encounters took place for purposes of rural health treatment and in underserved areas as a way to get specialized treatment to patients in geographic locations where they would not otherwise have treatment options. The use of telehealth services has increased in recent years ...
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced Friday Friday that it had revised the Families First Response Act (FFCRA) in response to a recent ruling by a federal court in New York. The new regulations are effective September 16 and represent a significant change for healthcare entities who previously (and correctly) used “blanket” denials of FFCRA requests for all of their employees ...
The impact of COVID-19 and the economic downturn has pressured independent hospitals, rural hospitals and smaller health systems in particular. Despite the immense challenges, independent facilities and their Boards should take this time to best position for the near- and long-term. In light of this, Waller partnered with Kaufman Hall to develop a guide for healthcare leaders, The Health System Growth Imperative: Charting Opportunities During the Pandemic and Beyond ...
