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November 05, 2024
Ascension Staff To Get Back Pay In COVID Vaccine Settlement
Ascension Health Alliance will provide back pay for employees who were denied religious exemptions from its COVID-19 vaccine policy and suspended without pay, under a revamped settlement approved by a Michigan federal judge.
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November 05, 2024
Lab Owner's Atty DQ'd After Repping Doctor In Fraud Inquiry
New Jersey prosecutors succeeded in disqualifying the lawyer for a lab owner accused of paying kickbacks to a New York City doctor in a $20.7 million fraud scheme because the attorney previously represented the doctor.
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November 05, 2024
Ga. Jury Convicts Ex-VA Doctor On 2 Of 8 Sex Abuse Charges
A longtime physician with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs was convicted by a Georgia federal jury Tuesday of sexually abusing one of his former patients, but found not guilty of abusing three other people who said they were molested during medical exams.
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November 05, 2024
NJ Justices To Review Hospitals' Challenge To Charity Care
The New Jersey Supreme Court has agreed to review a group of Garden State hospitals' challenge to a state law provision requiring hospitals to treat patients regardless of the patient's ability to pay, according to a court order.
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November 05, 2024
Justices Probe HHS 'Dish' Payment Impact On Rural Hospitals
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday grappled with whether a change to a formula used to calculate billions of dollars in payments every year to hospitals treating a large share of low-income patients would lead to shutdowns of rural and "safety net" hospitals.
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November 05, 2024
On The Ground: How Attorneys Safeguarded The Election
Attorneys worked tirelessly Tuesday to support citizens and election workers on the final day of voting in one of history's most contentious presidential contests.
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November 05, 2024
Abortion Ballot Tracker: 7 States Add Protections As Fla. Effort Fails
Residents in seven states voted to enshrine abortion rights in their state constitutions Tuesday while similar efforts failed in three other states, including Florida, where a closely watched and hotly contested ballot issue couldn't muster enough support.
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November 04, 2024
Kroger, State AGs Finalize Sprawling $1.37B Opioid Deal
Kroger will pay $1.37 billion to dozens of states and thousands of counties, municipalities and Native American tribes to resolve allegations the grocery store chain contributed to the opioid crisis, with Ohio, California and Texas seeing the largest distributions, according to a finalized settlement unveiled Monday.
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November 04, 2024
DOD Trans Healthcare Denial Discriminates, Judge Rules
A Maine federal judge ruled Monday that the U.S. Department of Defense's denial of healthcare coverage for two transgender women's gender-confirmation surgeries violates the Fifth Amendment's equal protection clause, finding that the way the department applied a statutory exclusion discriminated based on sex and transgender status.
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November 04, 2024
Whistleblowers Win Cut Of Medical Kickback Settlement
Three whistleblowers who tipped off the federal government to a medical device company's multimillion-dollar kickback scheme are entitled to a cut of the $3 million in False Claims Act settlements paid by surgeons who admitted participating in the sham consulting ploy, a Boston federal judge ruled Monday.
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November 04, 2024
Sanctions Lessened Against Testing Co. That 'Duped' Judge
A California federal judge Monday lessened sanctions imposed on Natera Inc. in a false advertising case first brought by rival Guardant Health Inc., allowing some clinical cancer study evidence to be presented at a trial starting Tuesday despite his earlier finding that Natera's expert and counsel had "duped" the court.
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November 04, 2024
With Lawsuit Pending, Nebraskans To Vote On Medical Pot
A pair of initiatives to legalize medical marijuana in Nebraska and regulate its sale will appear on the ballot on Election Day, but a pending legal challenge whose trial concluded Monday means it is unclear whether the initiatives will take effect even if they do get voter approval.
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November 04, 2024
Del. Judge To Approve Avante Ch. 11 Financing
A Delaware bankruptcy judge Monday agreed to approve debtor-in-possession financing for Jordan Health, the corporate parent of medical equipment service provider Avante Health, after the debtor and DIP lender struck a deal with the official committee of unsecured creditors.
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November 04, 2024
Debt Collectors Sue Over CFPB's Guidance On Medical Debt
A debt collection trade group has sued the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in Washington, D.C., federal court to overturn recent guidance that warned collectors about seeking payment on potentially inflated or unverified medical bills, slamming it as an "overtly political" end-run around proper rulemaking.
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November 04, 2024
Cigna Scores $7.3M Verdict Against Fla. Drug Testing Labs
A Connecticut federal jury on Monday handed Cigna Health and Life Insurance Co. a victory against three Florida boutique drug testing laboratories, finding the labs unjustly billed nearly $7.3 million for tests on substance abuse patients that the insurer declared medically unnecessary.
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November 04, 2024
NY AG Seeks Contempt For Anti-Abortion Org's 'Interference'
Counsel for the New York attorney general asked a federal judge Monday to hold an anti-abortion group in contempt for allegedly seeking to interfere with women's access to clinics despite an injunction, prompting questions about the limits of an advocate's civil rights.
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November 04, 2024
VA Accused Of Choosing 'Pass-Through' Co. For $257M Deal
A veteran-owned small business has challenged a $256.8 million U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs telehealth program support contract, saying the VA wrongly chose a small business joint venture that effectively served as a pass-through for a larger company.
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November 04, 2024
Yale Gets 2nd Circ. Win In COVID Test Reimbursement Row
A Connecticut medical practice can't sue Yale University under federal legislation enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic to recover the $1.1 million it said it incurred while providing COVID testing to university health plan members, the Second Circuit ruled Monday, finding no private cause of action existed.
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November 04, 2024
McKesson Inks $450K DOL Deal Following Hiring Bias Probe
The U.S. Department of Labor announced Monday that McKesson Medical-Surgical Inc. has agreed to pay nearly $450,000 to resolve the agency's claims that it gave hiring preferences to Asian job applicants over Black, Hispanic and white job hopefuls.
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November 04, 2024
MultiPlan Judge Raises Eyebrows At Attys' Biz Flight Billing
Counsel leading multidistrict litigation over Multiplan's pricing tools quickly revised their plans Monday for attorneys who take longer flights for the case, after an Illinois federal judge questioned why certain travelers received special treatment "arguably on the class's dime."
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November 04, 2024
Hospital Can't Undo Widow's $5M Win Over Husband's Suicide
An Illinois state appeals court won't upend a $5 million verdict awarded to a widow against a Cook County hospital in a suit over her husband's death by suicide, finding that the widow's expert testimony was enough for a jury to conclude that the doctor's negligence led to the death.
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November 04, 2024
Rehab Sued Over Staffer's Alleged Relationship With Patient
The father of a patient at a Newport Academy treatment center is alleging in federal court that one of the facility's care coordinators engaged in an inappropriate relationship while his son was a minor in the residential treatment program.
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November 04, 2024
Walgreens To Pay $100M In Suit Alleging Inflated Drug Prices
Walgreens has agreed to hand over $100 million to settle claims from consumers and unions that it unlawfully overcharged insured consumers for prescription drugs while allowing members of its cost savings club to pay less, according to an Illinois federal court filing.
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November 04, 2024
NJ Health System Hits Ch. 11 With Plans To Restructure Debt
A New Jersey nonprofit that operates three hospitals filed for Chapter 11 in Delaware, saying it faced increased operating costs after COVID-19 and hopes to restructure its debt.
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November 01, 2024
COVID Death Suit Not Barred By PREP Act, 11th Circ. Affirms
A split Eleventh Circuit affirmed a lower court's decision Thursday to remand to state court a lawsuit over a nursing home resident's COVID-19 death, finding preemption may cover a defendant sued for following federal public health emergency guidelines, but not when, as in the instant case, the guidelines were allegedly unheeded.
Expert Analysis
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Money, Money, Money: Limiting White Collar Wealth Evidence
As courts increasingly recognize that allowing unfettered evidence of wealth could prejudice a jury against a defendant, white collar defense counsel should consider several avenues for excluding visual evidence of a lavish lifestyle at trial, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.
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How Associates Can Build A Professional Image
As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.
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High Court's Abortion Pill Ruling Shuts Out Future Challenges
The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous ruling in U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine maintains the status quo for mifepristone access and rejects the plaintiffs' standing theories so thoroughly that future challenges from states or other plaintiffs are unlikely to be viable, say Jaime Santos and Annaka Nava at Goodwin.
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5 Steps To Navigating State Laws On Healthcare Transactions
As more states pass legislation requiring healthcare-transaction notice, private equity investors and other deal parties should evaluate the new laws and consider ways to mitigate their effects, say Carol Loepere and Nicole Aiken-Shaban at Reed Smith.
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Orange Book Warnings Highlight FTC's Drug Price Focus
In light of heightened regulatory scrutiny surrounding drug pricing and the Federal Trade Commission's activity in the recent Teva v. Amneal case, branded drug manufacturers should expect the FTC's campaign against allegedly improper Orange Book listings to continue, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age
As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.
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PBM Takeaways From Proposed Telehealth Flexibility Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives' proposal to extend certain telehealth flexibilities signals a robust commitment to expanding telehealth access, though its plan to offset additional expenses through pharmacy benefit manager reform could lead to some industry consolidation, say attorneys at Mintz.
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A Plaintiffs-Side Approach To Cochlear Implant Cases
As the number of cochlear implants in the U.S. continues to grow, some will inevitably fail — especially considering that many recalled implants remain in use — plaintiffs attorneys should proactively prepare for litigation over defective implants, says David Shoop at Shoop.
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Inside Antitrust Agencies' Rollup And Serial Acquisition Moves
The recent request for public comments on serial acquisitions and rollup strategies from the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Justice Department mark the antitrust agencies' continued focus on actions that fall below premerger reporting thresholds, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing
When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Series
Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer
There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.
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9th Circ. Clarifies ERISA Preemption For Healthcare Industry
The Ninth Circuit's recent ruling in Bristol SL Holdings v. Cigna notably clarifies the broad scope of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act's preemption of certain state law causes of action, standing to benefit payors and health plan administrators, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians
Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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Unpacking NY's Revised Hospital Cybersecurity Rule Proposal
The New York State Department of Health's recently revised hospital cybersecurity rule proposal highlights increased expectations and scrutiny around cybersecurity in the healthcare sector, while adapting to both recent industry developments and public comments, say Christine Moundas and Gideon Zvi Palte at Ropes & Gray.
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Short-Term Takeaways From CMS' New Long-Term Care Rules
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' new final rule on nursing home staffing minimums imposes controversial regulatory challenges that will likely face significant litigation, but for now, stakeholders will need to prepare for increased staffing expectations and more specialized facility assessments without meaningful funding, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.