Health

  • October 01, 2024

    NC Hospital Hit With More Class Claims Over Data Breach

    Columbus Regional Healthcare System's legal woes have worsened with more privacy breach claims filed against it by patients whose personal information was exposed by a May 2023 cyberattack on the healthcare provider's network.

  • October 01, 2024

    Steward Can't Be Forced To Reassign Contract In Ch. 11

    While a government contractor was within its rights to end a subcontracting agreement with embattled hospital group Steward Health, the Bankruptcy Code's provisions for assignment of contracts mean the debtor can't be compelled to reassign the agreement while in Chapter 11, a Texas bankruptcy judge said Tuesday.

  • October 01, 2024

    Doctors Were 'Bamboozled' By $160M Health Fraud, Jury Told

    A Houston man accused of defrauding the government out of $160 million by submitting false claims for diabetes medication is only guilty of creating a competitive business model, his attorney said Tuesday, telling a Texas federal jury it was "ridiculous" to say doctors across the country were "bamboozled" by an alleged scheme.

  • October 01, 2024

    Mass. Hospital To Pay Up To $6.5M In Sober Home Scheme

    A Massachusetts behavioral health hospital will pay up to $6.5 million to resolve claims it illegally steered Medicare and Medicaid patients to its outpatient substance abuse programs with a promise of free sober home housing, according to a settlement announced Tuesday.

  • October 01, 2024

    DOJ Joins Employee Antitrust Suit Against UPMC

    The U.S. Department of Justice is backing a proposed class action from University of Pittsburgh Medical Center workers who say the hospital used noncompetes and blacklists to suppress wages, telling a Pennsylvania federal judge that UPMC's motion to dismiss the suit sets an "insurmountable" pre-discovery bar for plaintiffs.

  • October 01, 2024

    Arkansas AG Says YouTube Addicts And Harms Youth Users

    The Arkansas attorney general has sued YouTube LLC, Google LLC and their parent company in state court, alleging that the YouTube platform is deliberately designed to addict youth users and shows them harmful content, leading to a mental health crisis that has cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars.

  • October 01, 2024

    Latham Helps TJC Clinch 2nd Continuation Fund At $2.1B

    Latham & Watkins LLP-advised middle-market private equity firm TJC LP on Tuesday announced that it clinched its second continuation fund with $2.1 billion of investor commitments led by Carlyle subsidiary AlpInvest.

  • October 01, 2024

    'Unsworn' Actors Sink Qui Tam Provision, Fla. Judge Rules

    A Florida federal judge on Monday ruled that the provision of the False Claims Act allowing whistleblowers to bring suits on behalf of the federal government is unconstitutional, dismissing a closely watched Medicare Advantage fraud case and potentially upending a key federal enforcement tool.

  • September 30, 2024

    Calif. Sues Eureka Hospital For Denying Emergency Abortion

    California on Monday sued Providence of St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka for denying an emergency abortion to a woman it diagnosed with a serious pregnancy complication and sending her off to a small community hospital with a bucket and towels.

  • September 30, 2024

    Pa. Hospital Hit With $24M Verdict For Spinal Surgery Patient

    A Pennsylvania hospital has been hit with a nearly $24 million verdict in favor of a spinal stenosis patient who alleged he was partially paralyzed when a surgeon mistakenly drove a screw into his spinal cord, marking what the plaintiff's counsel flagged as the largest medical malpractice award on record in York County.

  • September 30, 2024

    Ga.'s 'Heartbeat' Abortion Ban Struck Down Once Again

    Georgia residents had their legal access to abortion temporarily restored Monday as the state's so-called heartbeat abortion ban was again struck down by a judge whose previous move to block the 2019 law had been reversed by the state's highest court.

  • September 30, 2024

    Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action

    The year's spookiest month is looking scary-good for appellate aficionados, as famed oral advocates joust in October over net neutrality and Uber's extraordinary bid to unravel multidistrict litigation — just two of the high-profile arguments previewed in this edition of Wheeling & Appealing. October also begins with former President Jimmy Carter turning 100, and we'll test your knowledge of his profound impact on the judiciary.

  • September 30, 2024

    Pa. Bankruptcy Court OKs $53M Sale Of Nursing Homes

    A federal bankruptcy judge approved the proposed sale of nine western Pennsylvania nursing homes to affiliates of Kadima Healthcare Group for $53 million Monday, as part of Chapter 11 proceedings for more than a dozen facilities operating under the umbrella of Comprehensive Healthcare Management Systems.

  • September 30, 2024

    J&J Backs Off 340B Rebate Plan Following Feds' Objections

    Johnson & Johnson abandoned its plan Monday to offer rebates rather than upfront discounts for two medications under the 340B drug pricing law, contending it had no choice after a federal agency threatened to impose excessive penalties.

  • September 30, 2024

    Webuild Escapes Suit Over $140M Award In Delaware

    Italian construction giant Webuild has skirted a Chilean construction company's bid to enforce a $140 million arbitral award arising from a soured hospital construction project in the Chilean capital of Santiago, after a Delaware federal judge nixed the case on jurisdictional grounds.

  • September 30, 2024

    Claims Trimmed In Neb. Medical Pot Legalization Fight

    A Nebraska state judge has dismissed two out of four claims in a lawsuit aiming to block voters from deciding on ballot measures that could legalize medical cannabis and establish a system regulating its manufacture and sale.

  • September 30, 2024

    Judge Wants More Info On Yale's Ties To Fertility Doctor

    A Connecticut judge presiding over claims a fertility doctor used his own sperm to impregnate women in the 1980s asked two plaintiffs on Monday to back up their argument that Yale University and its affiliated hospital could be held liable, while the Ivy League entities sought to avert an evidence probe.

  • September 30, 2024

    Physician Assistant Seeks Lenient Term In $10M Fraud Case

    A North Carolina physician assistant is looking to spend just one year behind bars after a federal jury in Charlotte found him guilty of rubber-stamping bogus prescriptions for genetic testing, marking a far cry from prosecutors' requested nine-year prison sentence.

  • September 30, 2024

    Steward Health CEO Sues Senate Panel After Contempt Vote

    The outgoing CEO of embattled Steward Health Care on Monday sued members of Congress who voted earlier this month to hold him in contempt for defying their subpoena to testify at a hearing into the downfall of the bankrupt hospital chain he heads.

  • September 27, 2024

    Texas AG Wants Austin's Abortion Travel Fund Shut Down

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday accused the city of Austin of illegally using taxpayer funds to cover travel costs for people traveling out of the Lone Star State to get abortions, claiming that the city is misappropriating the funds in violation of the state constitution.

  • September 27, 2024

    Kappos' Bayh-Dole Warning To Clients Draws Debate

    An advocate for lowering drug prices squared off Friday against a former U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director about the potential risk of accepting government funds to develop drugs, as part of a discussion at New York University School of Law.

  • September 27, 2024

    Acadia To Pay $19.9M For Alleged Inpatient Billing Scheme

    Acadia Healthcare will pay $19.85 million to settle allegations it billed false claims to the federal government for medically unnecessary behavioral health services provided to patients who weren't even eligible for treatment, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

  • September 27, 2024

    Why Many Drugs Remain Pricey 40 Years After Hatch-Waxman

    In the four decades since Congress passed the Hatch-Waxman Act in an effort to make generic drugs more available, the pharmaceutical industry has used patent thickets, "evergreening" and pay-for-delay tactics to block competition and keep prices of life-saving specialty drugs astronomical, several legal experts told Law360, while the industry argues other parties shoulder more of the blame.

  • September 27, 2024

    4th Circ. Judge Startled By 'Really Odd' $9M Wage Suit Win

    A Fourth Circuit panel on Friday grappled with the degree of control nurses have over their work and if they automatically become employees by signing a noncompete, as it considered a medical staffing company's bid to overturn a $9 million misclassification suit judgment following a bench trial.

  • September 27, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Won't Revive $5.9M CMS Contingency Fee Suit

    The Federal Circuit on Friday refused to revive a contractor's $5.9 million dispute over a Medicare recovery audit task order, saying the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reasonably terminated the deal and didn't owe the company any more money.

Expert Analysis

  • How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts

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    As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

  • Calif. Ruling Heightens Medical Product Maker Liability

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    The California Supreme Court's decision in Himes v. Somatics last month articulates a new causation standard for medical product manufacturer liability that may lead to stronger product disclosures nationwide and greater friction between manufacturers and physicians, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Constitutional Protections For Cannabis Companies Are Hazy

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    Cannabis businesses are subject to federal enforcement and tax, but often without the benefit of constitutional protections — and the entanglement of state and federal law and conflicting judicial opinions are creating confusion in the space, says Amber Lengacher at Purple Circle.

  • Series

    Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Roundup

    After Chevron

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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard in June, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 36 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • Navigating Scrutiny Of Friendly Professional Corps. In Calif.

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    In light of ongoing scrutiny and challenges to private equity participation in the California healthcare marketplace, particularly surrounding the use of the friendly professional corporation model, management services organizations should consider implementing four best practices, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Takeaways From New HHS Substance Use Disorder Info Rules

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    A new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rule continues the agency's efforts to harmonize complex rules surrounding confidentiality provisions for substance use disorder patient records, though healthcare providers will need to remain mindful of different potentially applicable requirements and changes that their compliance structures may require, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Expect Few Changes In ITC Rulemaking

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's opinion overruling the Chevron doctrine will have less impact on the U.S. International Trade Commission than other agencies administering trade statutes, given that the commission exercises its congressionally granted authority in a manner that allows for consistent decision making at both agency and judicial levels, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • Series

    Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The second quarter of 2024 in California, which saw efforts to expand consumer protection legislation and enforcement actions in areas of federal focus like medical debt and student loans, demonstrated that the state's role as a trendsetter in consumer financial protection will continue for the foreseeable future, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

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    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • How Cannabis Rescheduling May Affect Current Operators

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    The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's proposal to reschedule marijuana to Schedule III provides relief in the form of federal policy from the stigma and burdens of Schedule I, but commercial cannabis operations will remain unchanged until the federal-state cannabis policy gap is remedied by Congress, say Meital Manzuri and Alexis Lazzeri at Manzuri Law.

  • Series

    Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.

  • Air Ambulance Ruling Severely Undermines No Surprises Act

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    A Texas federal court's recent decision in Guardian Flight v. Health Care Service — that the No Surprises Act lacks a judicial remedy when a health insurer refuses to pay the amount established through an independent review — likely throws a huge monkey wrench into the elaborate protections the NSA was enacted to provide, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.

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