Policy & Compliance

  • November 27, 2024

    Up Next At The High Court: Transgender Care, Holocaust Art

    The U.S. Supreme Court will return to the bench Monday for its December arguments session, which will include blockbuster questions about the constitutionality of state laws banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors and whether Hungary can be held liable for property stolen during World War II.

  • November 27, 2024

    Hospital Sued For Firing Tech Who Reported Lax Drugmaking

    A pharmacy technician claims in Illinois state court that she was fired from Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago for making complaints both internally and to state regulators that the medications for pediatric patients were being compounded in an unsanitary manner and that the facilities weren't being properly cleaned.

  • November 26, 2024

    Trump Taps Bhattacharya For National Institutes Of Health

    President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he has selected Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a physician who opposed the use of lockdowns and mask mandates to contain the spread of COVID-19, to lead the National Institutes of Health.

  • November 26, 2024

    NIH Beats 4th Circ. Bid To Unmask COVID Researcher

    National Institutes of Health on Tuesday defeated a circuit court appeal by a whistleblower organization which had sought to uncover the identity of a Wuhan University researcher who submitted sequencing data to an open-access NIH archive.

  • November 26, 2024

    Colo. Panel Weighs In On Faulty Genetic Test Damages

    A long-standing Colorado law limiting healthcare provider liability in certain negligence actions got its first interpretation, issued by a state appellate court panel. 

  • November 26, 2024

    In Court: Abortion, Gender Care, PBMs and Insulin Pricing

    An abortion ban bench trial in Idaho. A Texas high court decision on a "heartbeat" ban. A consumer protection agency delays medical debt guidance amid a legal challenge. Law360 Healthcare Authority looks at those and other significant decisions shaping the healthcare industry.

  • November 26, 2024

    Trump FDA Pick Devoted To Healthcare Price Transparency

    The nomination of surgeon Marty Makary to lead the U.S. Food and Drug Administration elevates a healthcare transparency advocate who authored books on the subject and pushed for hospitals to disclose their standard prices during the first Trump administration.

  • November 26, 2024

    Meet The Attys Arguing Tenn. Trans Care Ban At High Court

    Tennessee's solicitor general and the first openly transgender lawyer to appear before the U.S. Supreme Court are set to face off next week to debate the constitutionality of a state ban on gender-affirming care for minors.

  • November 26, 2024

    Pa. Nursing Home Eying Sale Seeks Fraud Sentencing Delay

    The parent company for a troubled Western Pennsylvania nursing home asked a federal court to postpone a sentencing for defrauding state and federal healthcare programs so the company can keep trying to sell the facility, or at least relocate its residents over a longer period of time.

  • November 25, 2024

    At Trial, Ex-Clinic Head Accuses Seattle Hospital Of Race Bias

    A Black ex-clinical director told a Washington state jury Monday that a Seattle hospital owes him millions of dollars for failing to address a "culture of racism" targeting him and the patients of color he advocated for while leading a clinic with a purported mission of advancing equity.

  • November 25, 2024

    Missouri Gender-Affirming Care Ban Upheld As Constitutional

    A Missouri state judge rejected a legal challenge to the state's ban on providing gender-affirming care to minors and adults, finding Monday the court should defer to the Legislature given that challengers hadn't proven the restrictions violated the U.S. Constitution.

  • November 25, 2024

    5th Circ. Upholds Miss. Ban On Medical Pot Ads

    Marijuana dispensaries do not have protections under the First Amendment to advertise their products because the drug is still illicit under federal law, the Fifth Circuit ruled, tossing a lawsuit that sought to upend the state's tight regulations on cannabis ads.

  • November 22, 2024

    MultiCare $2M Deal Ends Fed's ADA Missing Interpreter Probe

    MultiCare Health Systems of Washington will set aside $2 million in compensation to end a federal civil rights investigation into complaints the hospital operator failed to provide interpreters for deaf-blind patients before and after surgery.

  • November 22, 2024

    Texas Justices Say Court Bungled Ruling In Abortion Case

    The Texas Supreme Court said Friday a lower appellate court tried to "prematurely drag the judiciary into highly contentious and politicized debates" around abortion without analyzing a key standing issue, jeopardizing Planned Parenthood's and other abortion rights groups' bid to invalidate the controversial Texas Heartbeat Act.

  • November 22, 2024

    Texas Panel Says Gender-Affirming Surgery Suit Too Late

    A Texas appellate court has backed a counselor's win in a lawsuit from a former client who came to regret undergoing a double mastectomy following the counselor's recommendation for gender-affirming surgery, finding the claims were time-barred.

  • November 22, 2024

    Duke Health Sacked Worker Over Pregnancy, Suit Claims

    A Duke University-affiliated health network fired a radiology technologist just three days after she disclosed she was pregnant with her second child, according to a lawsuit in North Carolina federal court.

  • November 22, 2024

    3 Takeaways From 6th Circ. ERISA Disability Benefits Revival

    A recent Sixth Circuit ruling that handed a worker a new shot at long-term disability benefits gives a boost to plaintiffs battling caps on coverage for mental health conditions, attorneys say. Here, Law360 looks at three takeaways from the appeals court's decision.

  • November 22, 2024

    Medicaid Fraud Nets 11-Year Sentence For NC Social Worker

    A clinical social worker in North Carolina has been sentenced to more than 11 years behind bars on charges of defrauding South Carolina's Medicaid program and falsely obtaining COVID-19 relief checks, prosecutors said.

  • November 21, 2024

    Health Exec Who Fled Gets 3 Years For $8M Medicare Scheme

    A home healthcare executive who led a scheme to defraud Medicare of nearly $8 million through fraudulent billing practices and who fled the country after his indictment has been sentenced to more than three years in prison, according to a judgment filed in Michigan federal court Wednesday.

  • November 21, 2024

    In Tight Vote, Senate Panel OKs Bill To Set New PTAB Limits

    The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday narrowly voted to advance a bill that would impose new restrictions on Patent Trial and Appeal Board challenges, with several members expressing concern that it could drive up the cost of prescription drugs.

  • November 21, 2024

    NY Health Insurer Sued Over Booting Up, Logging Off Time

    A New York health insurer failed to pay customer service representatives for the time needed to get their workstations ready, leading to unpaid overtime and missed lunch breaks, according to a proposed class and collective action filed in federal court Friday.

  • November 21, 2024

    NY Hospital GC Accuses State Of Mishandling Medicaid Funds

    The general counsel of Nassau University Medical Center, who is also serving as interim president and CEO, is leading the Long Island hospital into a legal battle with the state of New York over $1 billion in federal Medicaid funds.

  • November 20, 2024

    Musk, Ramaswamy Say High Court Rulings OK Federal Cuts

    Billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, President-elect Donald Trump's picks to lead a newly created "Department of Government Efficiency," on Wednesday said two recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings will give them the authority to cut off power to regulatory agencies and conduct massive federal layoffs.

  • November 20, 2024

    Hospital's Med Mal Win Axed By Mich. Appeals Panel

    A divided Michigan Court of Appeals panel has revived a medical malpractice lawsuit against a Michigan hospital, finding that the patient established a genuine fact dispute regarding her reasonable belief that the gynecologist treating her was acting as the hospital's agent. 

  • November 20, 2024

    PBMs Sue To Block FTC's In-House Insulin Pricing Case

    Caremark Rx, Express Scripts and OptumRx have lodged a constitutional challenge of the Federal Trade Commission's in-house case accusing the pharmacy benefits managers of artificially inflating insulin prices through unfair rebate schemes.

Expert Analysis

  • 15 Areas That Would Change Under Health Data Rule Proposal

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    If finalized, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's proposed rule will significantly progress its efforts to advance interoperability, respond to stakeholder concerns and clarify compliance with the health IT certification program, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • 3 Healthcare FCA Deals Provide Self-Disclosure Takeaways

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    Several civil False Claims Act settlements of alleged healthcare fraud violations over the past year demonstrate that healthcare providers may benefit substantially from voluntarily disclosing potential misconduct to both the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, say Brian Albritton and Raquel Ramirez Jefferson at Phelps Dunbar.

  • Takeaways From High Court's Tribal Health Admin Cost Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent determination that the government must reimburse two Native American tribes for administrative healthcare costs will help tribes maintain equal footing with the Indian Health Service when administering programs, and continues a pattern of how the current court aligns on tribal concerns, say attorneys at Lewis Roca.

  • FTC Focus: Private Equity Investments In Healthcare

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    As the Federal Trade Commission is tightening its scrutiny of private equity investment in healthcare, the agency is finding novel grounds to challenge key focus areas, including rollup acquisitions, the flip-and-strip approach and minority investments in rival providers, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • High Court's Expert Ruling May Help Health Fraud Defendants

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Diaz v. U.S. appears to give the government a powerful new tool in calling its own agents as expert witnesses, but it could also benefit defense counsel in criminal healthcare fraud and other white collar criminal cases that arise in complex legal or regulatory environments, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Unpacking HHS' Opinion On Cell Therapy Refund Programs

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    A recent advisory opinion from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, determining that a biopharma company's refund program for its cell therapy will not be penalized, indicates an encouraging willingness to engage, but the regulator's assumptions about the program's limited term warrant a closer look, says Mary Kohler at Kohler Health.

  • DOJ Innovasis Settlement Offers Lessons On Self-Disclosure

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    The recent $12 million settlement with Innovasis and two of its executives demonstrates the U.S. Department of Justice's continued prioritization of Anti-Kickback Statute enforcement amid the growing circuit split over causation, and illustrates important nuances surrounding self-disclosure, say Denise Barnes and Scott Gallisdorfer at Bass Berry.

  • How Orange Book Antitrust Scrutiny Is Intensifying

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    Pharmaceutical patent holders should be reviewing Orange Book listing practices, as the Federal Trade Commission takes a more aggressive antitrust approach with actions such as the Teva listing probe, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration calls attention to potentially improper listings, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • After Chevron: Slowing Down AI In Medical Research

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision overturning the Chevron doctrine may inhibit agencies' regulatory efforts, potentially slowing down the approval and implementation of artificial intelligence-driven methodologies in medical research, as well as regulators' responses to public health emergencies, say Ragini Acharya and Matthew Deutsch at Husch Blackwell.

  • FDA's Multifaceted Role On Display In MDMA Therapy Scrutiny

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    Ongoing deliberations at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder serves as a window into the intricate balance of scientific innovation and patient safety oversight, and offers crucial insights into regulatory nuances, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and Kevin Lanzo at Pharmaka Clinical Consulting.

  • Analyzing FDA Draft Guidance On Clinical Trial Diversity

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    In light of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's draft guidance on clinical trial diversity action plans, there are several important considerations for sponsors and clinical researchers to keep in mind to prevent delay in a drug or device application, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • In The CFPB Playbook: Making Good On Bold Promises

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision upholding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding structure in the second quarter cleared the way for the bureau to resume a number of high-priority initiatives, and it appears poised to charge ahead in working toward its aggressive preelection agenda, say Andrew Arculin and Paula Vigo Marqués at Blank Rome.

  • Critical Questions Remain After High Court's Abortion Rulings

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decisions in two major abortion-related cases this term largely preserve the status quo for now, but leave federal preemption, the Comstock Act and in vitro fertilization in limbo, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.