PANEL DISCUSSION – A YEAR OF CHANGE: ON THE COMPLIANCE CAROUSEL

2023 marked a significant year of transition for provider Corporate Compliance Programs because of multiple changes in federal and state compliance program regulations, guidance, and policies. Our moderator will take our panel of experts through a discussion on successfully navigating the changing compliance landscape mixed with stories of challenge and success. Topics will include current audit and enforcement observations, governance role in compliance, the emergence of artificial intelligence, contractor compliance, and much more. The session is designed to include audience interaction and response to questions.

Click HERE for the presentation.

Presenters

Robert Hussar, Partner, Rivkin Radler

Bob Hussar is a Partner in Rivkin Radler’s Health Services and Compliance, Investigations & White Collar Practice Groups. Bob has spent his entire 20-year professional career working with or for non-profit healthcare providers on compliance and audit matters and initiatives. He has had the unique perspective of running or overseeing payer and provider compliance programs as a compliance officer, consultant, healthcare attorney, and regulator including as the First Deputy Medicaid Inspector General, where he was directly responsible for the implementation of mandatory provider compliance plans and corporate integrity agreements, and where he chaired provider advisory committees focused on compliance guidance, self-disclosures and OMIG’s audit processes. In addition to his compliance and audit expertise, he also spends considerable time representing individuals and organizations on NYS Justice Center matters. Bob is certified in healthcare compliance, is a former Board Member of Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) and currently serves as the Chair of their New York Regional Meeting. He is a former Chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Health Law Section and also previously served as chair of the Compliance, Enforcement and Payment Committee of the Section. Bob previously served as a co-chair of the NYS Department of Health’s Value Based Payment Workgroup on Program Integrity. Bob is also the founder and Managing Partner of Healthcare Compliance Connections, a boutique executive search firm that assists providers in identifying and recruiting qualified healthcare compliance professionals. When Bob isn’t partnering with providers to promote truth and justice, he enjoys coaching youth sports, a rare round of golf, and partnering with his wife Heather to manage the chaos associated with the active lives of their four children and two spirited golden retrievers. Since 2016, the Health Services Practice Group has been recognized in the Chambers USA directory.

Paul Mayer, Executive Vice President, The Bonadio Group

Paul is an Executive Vice President and the leader of the Compliance Solutions Division at The Bonadio Group.  He is a healthcare professional with more than 15 years of experience in healthcare and not-for-profit settings.  Paul has held the positions of Corporate Compliance Officer, Director of Corporate Compliance, Process Integrity Coordinator, and Case Manager for organizations regulated by the Department of Health, OPWDD, OMH, OASAS, and OCFS, to name a few.  He has conducted compliance training sessions and assessed compliance programs and Medicare and Medicaid service documentation for many types of providers throughout New York State.  Paul has also provided ongoing Compliance Program Consultation and has served as the Outsourced Compliance Officer for several organizations.

In addition to his professional background, Paul holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Science from the University of Buffalo.  He also holds a Master of Public Administration Degree from SUNY Brockport and a Master of Business Administration Degree from the William E. Simon School of Business Administration at The University of Rochester.  Paul brings extensive experience in HIPAA, policy and procedure development, medical record room management, Medicaid and Medicare compliance, and leading and implementing corporate compliance programs.  Paul is a member of the Health Care Compliance Association and is Certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC) and Healthcare Privacy Compliance (CHPC).

Melissa Zambri, Partner, Barclay Damon

Melissa is a member of Barclay Damon’s Management Committee and managing director of the Albany office. She is also the co-team leader of the health care and health and human services teams and is a former member of the Compensation Committee.

In her practice, Melissa focuses on enterprise development and regulatory guidance for the health care industry. She provides counsel to individual practitioners, owners, administrators, executives, and employees of health care practices and health care-related facilities, including physicians, licensed medical personnel, providers of services to the developmentally disabled, hospitals, clinics, home-health agencies, senior residences and assisted-living facilities, laboratories, health care trade associations, durable-medical-equipment providers, alcohol- and substance-use-disorder treatment facilities, physician practice management companies, mental-health programs, and  medical transportation companies.

Melissa assists health care clients with certificate-of-need applications, compliance programs, audits, investigations and self-disclosures, HIPAA compliance, and licensure issues. She also helps clients obtain approvals to operate health care facilities and to complete significant transactions. She counsels providers on federal anti-kickback and self-referral requirements, regulations governing federal- and state-funded health care programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, and other regulatory requirements applicable to health care providers.