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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.
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September 27, 2024
Ga. Hospital Patients Ask Judge to Revive Facebook Data Suit
A proposed class of patients claiming Piedmont Healthcare Inc. unlawfully shared their confidential health data with Facebook urged a federal judge to rethink his late-August decision tossing their suit, saying the judge failed to consider their claims the health system criminally violated HIPAA's privacy rule.
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September 27, 2024
Mich. Justices Take Up Another Auto Reform Coverage Case
The Michigan Supreme Court agreed Friday to review a crash coverage dispute concerning whether changes to the state no-fault act's medical care reimbursement rates apply to post-reform treatment, weighing in on a case where the injury occurred after the June 2019 statutory amendment but before the July 2021 effective date.
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September 27, 2024
MetLife's 3rd Circ. Win Won't Stop ERISA Health Fee Suits
The Third Circuit's recent decision upholding MetLife's escape from a lawsuit accusing the company of pocketing $65 million in pharmacy rebates instead of using the funds to lower employee healthcare costs hands additional authority over to employers facing a new wave of class action litigation over excessive health fees, attorneys say.
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September 27, 2024
Ault Disruptive To Dissolve After Failing To Ink SPAC Deal
Blank check company Ault Disruptive Technologies Corp. said on Friday that it plans to dissolve and liquidate because it will not be able to complete an initial business combination before Dec. 20.
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September 27, 2024
Medical Equipment Co., Founder Settle FCA Suit For $20M
A Florida-based medical equipment company and its founder will pay $20 million to settle claims under the federal False Claims Act that they improperly billed government healthcare plans for duplicated and unnecessary sales of devices meant to offer pain relief through electrical stimulation, Pennsylvania prosecutors said Friday.
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September 26, 2024
HHS Flags Ransomware Rise In New Deal With Wash. Provider
A Washington state-based healthcare provider has agreed to pay $250,000 and boost its data security to resolve the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's enforcement action over a 2017 ransomware attack, amid what the agency said has been a steep rise in reports of such cyberattacks over the past six years.
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September 26, 2024
Senate Bill Calls For Stronger Healthcare Cyber Standards
Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation Thursday aiming to better protect patient health information and avoid cyberattacks by strengthening cybersecurity standards, months after a highly publicized data breach earlier this year of a UnitedHealth unit that lacked basic security measures like two-factor authentication.
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September 26, 2024
Healthcare REIT Defeats Investor Suit For Good
An Alabama federal judge on Thursday permanently tossed an investor suit against a healthcare-focused real estate investment trust, Medical Properties Trust Inc., that alleged the trust hid the poor performance of four acute care hospitals it owns in Pennsylvania, saying the plaintiff's asserted theory in the suit "is somewhat Jekyll and Hyde."
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September 26, 2024
New Report Urges Feds To Take Larger Role In Pot Policy
The rise of state-sanctioned cannabis markets amid the absence of federal regulation has prioritized policies intended to launch marijuana sales over those focused on public health, according to a government-sponsored report made public Thursday.
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September 26, 2024
Split 2nd Circ. Backs 8 Years For Conn. COVID Money Scam
In a published opinion Thursday, a split panel of the Second Circuit upheld a Connecticut man's eight-year prison sentence for stealing federal COVID-19 relief funds from the city of West Haven through a conspiracy with a state representative, finding that the punishment was not "substantively unreasonable."
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September 26, 2024
Obesity Drug Developer Leads 2 Upsized IPOs Totaling $310M
Obesity-focused drug developer BioAge Labs Inc. gained in debut trading Thursday after raising $198 million through an upsized initial public offering, leading one of two new listings that netted a combined $310 million under the guidance of four law firms.
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September 26, 2024
Virtua Discriminates Against Pregnant Patients, NJ Alleges
Virtua Health discriminates against pregnant patients by forcing them to undergo drug testing for inpatient admission to its hospitals — a policy that does not apply universally to other patients, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin alleged in a lawsuit filed Thursday in New Jersey state court.
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September 26, 2024
Winner Of $8.6M Suit Wants Mich. Justices' Take On Cap
The estate of a patient who won an $8.6 million medical malpractice verdict earlier this year is asking a Michigan federal court to certify a question to the state's Supreme Court to determine whether a statutory cap on noneconomic damages is constitutional.
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September 26, 2024
Colo. Justices Pause Discovery In Hospital Lien Suit
The Colorado Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed discovery in a class action against hospital company Centura Health, as it decides whether to take up the plaintiff's challenge to a Denver judge's second attempt at deciding what documents the plaintiff must produce.
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September 26, 2024
Ex-University Head Says COVID Isolation Death Suit Is Late
Former Seton Hall University President Joseph E. Nyre has asked a New Jersey federal judge to toss gross negligence and fraudulent concealment claims brought by the estate of a student who died from epilepsy in mandatory isolation in her dorm room after testing positive for COVID-19, arguing both claims are time-barred.
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September 26, 2024
Pa. Justices Say COVID Closures Aren't Covered Losses
Pennsylvania's Supreme Court shut the door Thursday on COVID-19 pandemic loss insurance coverage for businesses closed by government mandate, ruling that requisite physical loss or damage required tangible alteration to property, reversing a lower court decision that stated loss of use was sufficient.
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September 26, 2024
Senate Patent Bill Markups Delayed Until After Election
Congressional hearings scheduled for Thursday to mark up several bills related to patents, including measures dealing with patent eligibility, validity challenges and drug patents, have been postponed until after Election Day due to the Senate's adjournment.
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September 26, 2024
NY Lawmakers Beat ADA Suit Over Contentious Mask Ban
A New York federal judge threw out a challenge to Nassau County's ban on face masks worn by people trying to hide their identities in public, noting in an order Wednesday the plaintiffs lack standing since the ban doesn't apply to coverings worn to protect the wearer's health and safety.
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September 26, 2024
Healthcare Atty Rejoins Polsinelli After Foley Hoag Stint
Polsinelli PC announced on Wednesday that a doctor and former healthcare policy attorney who spent 11 years during a previous stint with the firm has returned to its Washington, D.C., office as a public policy shareholder.
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September 26, 2024
Behavioral Health Exec Pleads Guilty To Medical Billing Fraud
The chief executive of a behavioral health company on Thursday admitted to directing employees to bill Medicare and Medicaid for extra psychotherapy sessions that never took place.
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September 26, 2024
Dallas VA Center Overpaid $3.7M For Wheelchair Services
A Texas veterans medical center will have to recover $3.7 million it overpaid a contractor for wheelchair transportation services between 2022 and 2023, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General said Wednesday.
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September 25, 2024
11th Circ. Reverses DOJ Defeat In $400M Kickback Case
The Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday held that a lower court should've admitted prosecutors' evidence of alleged co-conspirators in a $400 million health insurance fraud case, finding that an exclusion to the hearsay rule was misapplied by the district court in the closely watched Anti-Kickback Statute litigation.
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September 25, 2024
Feds Urge Judge Not To Ax Novel Insider Trading Conviction
Prosecutors have hit back at former Ontrak CEO Terren Peizer's bid to ax his first-of-its-kind insider trading conviction and score a new trial, telling a California federal judge that the jury had all the information it needed to find Peizer guilty in June.
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September 25, 2024
Novel Labor Clause Ruling May Beg Scrutiny In Court
A controversial demand from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for prospective contractors to recognize union organizing may stretch the limits of the government's required neutrality in contactors' labor disputes, and a ruling supporting it is likely to attract close scrutiny from courts.
Expert Analysis
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The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Of Healthcare's PE Boom
While an influx of capital may provide access to new resources and innovative technologies, the private equity model's method of funding may be fundamentally at odds with patient-first healthcare, and in recent years that inherent tension has gotten ugly, say Eva Gunasekera and Jaclyn Tayabji at Tycko & Zavareei.
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3 Policyholder Tips After Calif. Ruling Denying D&O Coverage
A California decision from June, Practice Fusion v. Freedom Specialty Insurance, denying a company's claim seeking reimbursement under a directors and officers insurance policy for its settlement with the Justice Department, highlights the importance of coordinating coverage for all operational risks and the danger of broad exclusionary policy language, says Geoffrey Fehling at Hunton.
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Opinion
Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism
As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.
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Opinion
High Court Made Profound Mistake In Tossing Purdue Deal
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to throw out Purdue Pharma's Chapter 11 plan jeopardizes a multistate agreement that would provide approximately $7 billion in much-needed relief to help fight the opioid epidemic, with states now likely doomed to spend years chasing individual defendants across the globe, says Swain Wood at Morningstar.
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How Tech Trackers May Implicate HIPAA After Hospital Ruling
A recent Texas federal court order in American Hospital Association v. Becerra adds a legal protection on key data, clarifying when tracking technologies implicate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, so organizations should ensure all technology used is known and accounted for, say John Howard and Myriah Jaworski at Clark Hill.
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Series
Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.
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Big Business May Come To Rue The Post-Administrative State
Many have framed the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions overturning Chevron deference and extending the window to challenge regulations as big wins for big business, but sand in the gears of agency rulemaking may be a double-edged sword, creating prolonged uncertainty that impedes businesses’ ability to plan for the future, says Todd Baker at Columbia University.
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Opinion
Proposed Terminal Disclaimers Rule Harms Colleges, Startups
Universities and startups are ill-suited to follow the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s recently proposed rule on terminal disclaimers due to their necessity of filing patent applications early prior to contacting outside entities for funds and resources, say attorneys at Sterne Kessler.
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A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates
Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.
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Series
In The CFPB Playbook: Making Good On Bold Promises
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.
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Critical Questions Remain After High Court's Abortion Rulings
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.
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A Look At Acquisition Trends For Radiopharmaceuticals
As radiopharmaceutical drugs are increasingly used for the diagnosis and treatment of certain diseases, interest from Big Pharma entities is following suit, despite some questions around the drugs' capacity to expand beyond their limited niche, says Adrian Toutoungi at Taylor Wessing.
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Opinion
States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions
Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.
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Navigating FDA Supply Rule Leeway For Small Dispensers
As the November compliance deadline for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's new pharmaceutical distribution supply chain rules draws closer, small dispensers should understand the narrow flexibilities that are available, and the questions to consider before taking advantage of them, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.
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Series
Solving Puzzles Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Tackling daily puzzles — like Wordle, KenKen and Connections — has bolstered my intellectual property litigation practice by helping me to exercise different mental skills, acknowledge minor but important details, and build and reinforce good habits, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.