Policy & Compliance

  • June 04, 2024

    Benefits Plan Inks Deal To End Mental Health Coverage Suit

    The employee benefits plan at Mountain Area Health Education Center became the last remaining defendant to reach a settlement in a North Carolina district court lawsuit accusing an insurer and others of refusing to cover the cost of a patient's stay at a residential treatment center.

  • June 04, 2024

    What Clinical Trial Attys Want From FDA Diversity Guidance

    Impending federal guidance on diversifying clinical trial participation marks the latest push to address the historic homogeneity of clinical research. Here, clinical trial attorneys share with Law360 Healthcare Authority the questions they hope the FDA will answer.

  • June 04, 2024

    White House Threatens Veto Over Policy Riders In VA Bill

    The White House has threatened to veto a $147.5 billion bill funding military construction and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, citing partisan policy proposals it said would harm minority groups and risk patient safety at VA medical facilities.

  • June 04, 2024

    Ex-Keller & Heckman Scientist Joins K&L Gates In DC

    K&L Gates LLP announced Tuesday that a longtime scientist at Keller and Heckman LLP joined its Washington, D.C., office as the firm's first senior scientific adviser.

  • June 04, 2024

    NM Cannabis Co. Says Insurers Can't Toss Medical Weed Row

    A group of insurers can't escape a proposed class action demanding they cover medical marijuana costs, a cannabis company and several of its patients said, telling a New Mexico federal court that medical cannabis is a medically necessary behavioral health service that must be covered.

  • June 04, 2024

    Sens. Offer Stark Takes On Abortion Two Years Post-Dobbs

    Republican and Democratic members of the Senate health committee on Tuesday offered two different views of abortion in America two years after the Dobbs Decision overturned the federal right to the procedure.

  • June 04, 2024

    Recent Foley Hoag Addition Tapped As Life Sciences Co-Chair

    Boston-based Foley Hoag LLP announced the appointment of a recently hired patent partner as co-chair of its life sciences industry group, the largest industry sector it services.

  • June 04, 2024

    A Lawsuit 'Field Day' Over Calif. Healthcare Worker Wage Hike

    Even before going into effect, California's new healthcare worker minimum wage is generating complex legal questions about its scope and predictions of legal clashes to come.

  • June 03, 2024

    Colo. Gov Signs Compromise Bill Raising Damages Caps

    Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Monday signed a law that will increase statutory caps on noneconomic damages for wrongful death and injury claims, as part of a deal to avoid a ballot-box fight between medical providers and personal injury lawyers.

  • June 03, 2024

    House COVID Panel Questions Fauci Over Pandemic Origins

    Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease responsible for overseeing the pandemic response, was pressed by a U.S. House COVID-19 panel Monday about recent allegations that a senior official tried to evade open records laws regarding the origins of the pandemic.

  • June 03, 2024

    Senate To Vote On Right To Contraception

    The Senate will vote later this week on a bill to codify a statutory right to contraception, ahead of the two-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade.

  • June 01, 2024

    Blockbuster Summer: 10 Big Issues Justices Still Must Decide

    As the calendar flips over to June, the U.S. Supreme Court still has heaps of cases to decide on issues ranging from trademark registration rules to judicial deference and presidential immunity. Here, Law360 looks at 10 of the most important topics the court has yet to decide.

  • May 31, 2024

    Final Defendant Gets 2 Years In Prison For DC Clinic Blockade

    An anti-abortion activist was sentenced to two years incarceration in D.C. federal court Friday, the final defendant to be sentenced among nine others charged in a 2020 blockade at a reproductive health clinic.

  • May 31, 2024

    Judge Doubts Okla. Can Stop Title X Cut Over Abortion Stance

    A Tenth Circuit judge appeared skeptical Friday that Oklahoma could prevent federal officials from stripping $4.5 million in funding over the state's refusal to provide abortion referrals, suggesting the state's claim of anti-abortion discrimination is better suited to an attack on Title X writ large.

  • May 31, 2024

    Judge Wonders If Wash. Social Media Ban Blocks Free Speech

    A Washington appellate judge on Friday questioned the constitutionality of a state law barring injured workers from posting video of their state workers' compensation medical exams on social media, saying it could be cutting off someone's only way of communicating with the outside world.

  • May 31, 2024

    15 States Sue To Block Biden's ACA Trans Discrimination Rule

    The Biden administration was hit with a lawsuit on Friday over its rule clarifying the application of the Affordable Care Act's nondiscrimination protections to gender identity, with a group of 15 states claiming the guidance is an effort "to enshrine sweeping gender-identity mandates without congressional consent."

  • May 31, 2024

    Texas Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To Abortion Ban

    The Texas Supreme Court unanimously rejected a petition Friday that challenged the state's near-total ban on abortion, ruling the law's narrow exceptions for pregnant women in life-threatening emergencies are broad enough to withstand a constitutional challenge.

  • May 30, 2024

    Physician, Health Cos. Spar Over Docs In Fla. Qui Tam Suit

    A doctor and several healthcare businesses accused each other of withholding evidence in a Florida federal False Claims Act lawsuit, with the doctor saying several key Zoom meeting records were destroyed, although the businesses have alleged the doctor refused to provide a financial agreement she made with a cohort.

  • May 30, 2024

    Ozempic Maker Says Texas Pharmacy Selling Knockoff Drug

    The manufacturer behind the Ozempic weight loss drug has asked a federal court to prohibit a Houston-area pharmacy from selling compounded, non-FDA-approved medications that claim to contain the drug's key ingredient.

  • May 30, 2024

    Sen. Warren Pushes CMS On 'Medical Loss Ratio' Data

    Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to collect more data to determine whether private healthcare insurers in Medicare Advantage that employ vertical integration are evading a statutory requirement that they spend the bulk of their earnings on medical claims.

  • May 30, 2024

    Dental Co., Ex-Worker Agree To Arbitrate OT Spat

    A New York federal judge granted a former dental assistant's request to arbitrate her claims accusing a dental company of failing to pay hourly workers all their overtime wages owed or on a weekly basis as state law mandates for manual laborers.

  • May 29, 2024

    FDA Sued Over Controversial Lab Test Rule

    A clinical lab trade group that has been highly critical of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's new final rule on laboratory-developed tests filed a lawsuit late Wednesday, saying the agency doesn't have the authority to regulate the tests as medical devices.

  • May 29, 2024

    Acting Boston US Atty Says Fraud Cases Still High Priority

    Prosecuting a range of fraud cases despite finite resources will remain a priority for Massachusetts acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy as he enters his second year in the job, he told reporters on Wednesday in a question and answer session at his office.

  • May 29, 2024

    Whistleblower Counsel Can't Get 'Exorbitant' $11.5M Fee

    A Boston federal judge slashed an "exorbitant" $11.5 million fee request made by counsel for a False Claims Act whistleblower in a case involving lab testing company Fresenius Medical Care, hammering the attorneys for inflated hourly rates, inflated time entries and a host of questionable billing practices.

  • May 28, 2024

    Staffing Rule Suit, Mayo COVID Claims And An Oathless Expert

    Nursing home trade groups sue over "nightmare" staffing rule, former Mayo Clinic workers get another shot at claims they were illegally fired over COVID-19 policy breaches, and an unsworn expert letter tanks a medical malpractice suit in Iowa. Law360 Healthcare Authority looks at those and other notable developments in healthcare litigation over the past week.

Expert Analysis

  • AI In Health Law: The Top Guest Articles Of 2023

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    As the use of artificial intelligence accelerated this year, Expert Analysis writers examined AI's significant impact on the healthcare sector, ranging from key compliance considerations for companies utilizing AI tools to regulators' efforts to keep up with rapidly evolving technologies.

  • The Most-Read Legal Industry Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

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    A range of legal industry topics drew readers' attention in Law360's Expert Analysis section this year, from associate retention strategies to ethical billing practices.

  • Inside Higher Education's New FCA Liability Challenges

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    As the educational sector expands its use of government funding, schools are at increased risk under the False Claims Act, but recent settlements offer valuable lessons about new theories of liability they may face and specific procedures to reduce their exposure, say James Zelenay and Jeremy Ochsenbein at Gibson Dunn.

  • AI Executive Order's Life Science, Healthcare Industry Effects

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    The recent White House executive order to manage risks associated with artificial intelligence includes provisions specific to healthcare and life sciences that merit special attention, including transparency, human oversight of AI output, and real world performance monitoring, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • HHS Advisory Highlights Free Product Inducement Risks

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    A recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services advisory opinion highlights concerns that valuable free products and other inducements may influence patients and providers to choose one manufacturer’s product over another, notwithstanding that such free healthcare products may be a benefit, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities

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    Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.

  • In The World Of Legal Ethics, 10 Trends To Note From 2023

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    Lucian Pera at Adams and Reese and Trisha Rich at Holland & Knight identify the top legal ethics trends from 2023 — including issues related to hot documents, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — that lawyers should be aware of to put their best foot forward.

  • How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season

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    Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Top 10 Whistleblowing And Retaliation Events Of 2023

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and federal and state courts made 2023 another groundbreaking year for whistleblower litigation and retaliation developments, including the SEC’s massive whistleblower awards, which are likely to continue into 2024 and further incentivize individuals to submit tips, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Becoming a children's book author has opened doors to incredible new experiences of which I barely dared to dream, but the process has also changed my life by serving as a reminder that strong writing, networking and public speaking skills are hugely beneficial to a legal career, says Shaunna Bailey at Sheppard Mullin.

  • The State Of CFPB Focus On Credit Reporting Of Medical Debt

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    An increase in credit reporting complaints and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent annual report on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act — which focuses on medical debt in credit reporting — are both evidence of the fact that the bureau will continue to prioritize oversight of credit reporting of medical debt, says Kristen Watson at Burr & Forman.

  • FDA's Recent Litigation Records Are Strong, But Imperfect

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has notched its share of litigation wins in recent years thanks to a number of key advantages, but the FDA has been less successful in certain highly visible arenas, Jonathan Berman and Colleen Heisey at Jones Day.

  • 5 Steps For Healthcare Companies After Biden's AI Order

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    Rather than simply monitoring for the issuance of agency guidelines on artificial intelligence in the wake of President Joe Biden's October executive order, health and life sciences companies should take action now and begin building internal operational and technical infrastructures designed to govern the use of AI, says Joy Sharp at Faegre Drinker.