Digital Health & Technology

  • January 10, 2025

    Social Media Apps Fail To Trim Calif. Mental Health Mass Tort

    Meta Platforms, YouTube, Snap and TikTok have lost a bid to cut failure-to-warn claims from consolidated litigation over their social media platforms' alleged harm to youth mental health, with a California state judge ruling that neither the Communications Decency Act nor the First Amendment bar liability based on an app's own features.

  • January 10, 2025

    1st Circ. Questions Reach Of Anti-Torture Law In Civil Cases

    The First Circuit on Friday hinted it may be considering limits on the jurisdiction of the Torture Victims Protection Act, during a hearing where former Justice Stephen Breyer recalled concerns he first raised on the Supreme Court that an overly broad reading could pave the way for other nations to arrest Americans for incidents on U.S. soil.

  • January 09, 2025

    'Stunned': Judge Rips Atty For Violating Antitrust Trial Order

    A California federal judge overseeing an antitrust jury trial over claims that Intuitive Surgical was a monopolist that abused its power by blocking hospitals from using a service to extend the life of a component related to its surgical-robot arms said Thursday she was "stunned" when plaintiff Surgical Instrument Service showed a video that violated a pretrial order.

  • January 09, 2025

    Cancer Org Fails To Get Rival's TM Counterclaims Tossed

    A Georgia federal judge said Thursday that the Glioblastoma Foundation Inc. can't yet escape a series of counterclaims filed against it by a rival nonprofit amid a trademark spat, ruling that its defenses in a dismissal bid largely relied on factual issues about whether the rival fraudulently obtained the marks at issue.

  • January 09, 2025

    VITAS Must Face Wiretap Suit Over Customer Service Calls

    A California federal judge declined to toss a putative class action alleging VITAS Healthcare violated wiretapping laws by helping a third-party software developer eavesdrop on calls with VITAS' customers, noting Wednesday the third party was capable of using the data derived from the calls for its own purposes.

  • January 08, 2025

    Intuitive Killed Biz For Reusing Robo-Surgery Arms, Jury Told

    The president of a family-owned medical instrument repair business suing biotechnology company Intuitive Surgical on antitrust claims told a California federal jury Wednesday that his company saw a "huge opportunity" in providing a service that extended the life of Intuitive's surgical robot arms, but hospitals balked after Intuitive sent threatening letters.

  • January 08, 2025

    Patent Board Knocks Out Most Of Apple Patent

    Two rulings out of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board have wiped out several claims in a patent Apple is asserting against a medical software company that was initially first to assert patents against Apple over health-related programming in the Apple Watch.

  • January 08, 2025

    Telligen's TM Suit Against IT Co. Can Move Forward

    A California federal judge is letting a trademark lawsuit from health data company Telligen proceed against information technology company Telligens, ruling that he was not yet convinced that the suit was filed 10 years too late.

  • January 08, 2025

    Biotech Co.'s Facility Failures Lost Investors Money, Suit Says

    The executives and directors of biotechnology company Humacyte Inc. have been hit with a shareholder derivative suit in North Carolina federal court alleging the company concealed that its manufacturing facility failed to comply with certain quality assurance practices, leading to delayed regulatory review for its product candidate.

  • January 07, 2025

    Robo Surgery Co. Gets Billions From Selling Parts, Jury Told

    Surgical Instrument Service accused Intuitive Surgical at the start of a federal trial Tuesday of being a monopolist making billions of dollars by blocking hospitals from extending the life of reusable surgical-robot components, while Intuitive blasted the medical instrument repair company for "trying to misuse antitrust laws to enrich itself."

  • January 07, 2025

    HHS Fines Mass. Health Firm $80K Over Ransomware Attack

    Elgon Information Systems, which provides digital medical record and billing support services, will pay $80,000 over alleged healthcare data protection rule violations following a ransomware attack on its systems in March 2023 that impacted roughly 31,248 customers, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday.

  • January 07, 2025

    HIPAA Cyber Rule Shake-Up Arrives On Eve Of Trump's Return

    A massive cybersecurity rule change proposed this week would require healthcare providers and insurers to protect patient data with multifactor authentication and other safeguards. Attorneys are watching to see if the Trump administration changes course.

  • January 06, 2025

    Labcorp Loses Appeal Of Gene-Testing Patent In $372M Case

    Labcorp, one of the world's largest chains of clinical lab providers, lost its appeal over a patent tied to a $372 million judgment it is facing in the Western District of Texas, after Federal Circuit judges on Monday upheld an administrative patent board ruling against it two years ago.

  • December 20, 2024

    Medical Records Co. Wants Rival's Antitrust Suit Tossed

    Epic Systems Corp. told a New York federal court that an antitrust case lodged by Particle Health Inc. is really just payback for revealing concerns that Particle allowed its customers to inappropriately access personal medical records.

  • December 20, 2024

    Top Privacy & Cybersecurity Developments Of 2024

    The state data privacy law patchwork continued to add new and varied pieces in 2024, while major hacks shook up the healthcare industry and other critical sectors, and the first U.S. laws setting guardrails for the use of artificial intelligence technologies emerged.

  • December 19, 2024

    Google Health Tracking Plaintiffs Fight To Keep Suit Alive

    A California federal judge who was asked by Google to toss a proposed class action alleging that the tech giant illicitly scoops up users' personal data from healthcare providers' websites indicated during a Thursday hearing that he might grant the request while adding that he still has "a lot more thinking to do."

  • December 17, 2024

    UNC Doctor Can't Shield Minor Transgender Patients' Records

    A University of North Carolina doctor cannot assert privilege over medical records sought from the university by state Republicans fighting a suit by the physician and others seeking to enjoin a law imposing limits on transgender care for minors, a federal magistrate judge has ruled.

  • December 17, 2024

    Stanford Profs Say Roche's Trade Secret Claims Time-Barred

    Stanford University's trustees and three of its professors have asked a California federal court to dismiss trade secret theft claims bought by subsidiaries of F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, arguing that the allegations are time-barred because the companies were on notice of the purported misappropriation for over three years before filing suit.

  • December 17, 2024

    New Fed Health Data Rules: What You Need To Know

    The Biden administration this week established long-awaited regulations codifying how medical providers and vendors must share electronic health information. New provisions were included to thwart criminal investigations into reproductive healthcare.

  • December 17, 2024

    FDA Sharpens Focus On Celebrity Drug Endorsements

    Ads featuring celebrities such as tennis star Serena Williams and interior designer Nate Berkus surfaced in FDA enforcement letters this year. The agency has ramped up its scrutiny of influencer drug promotion.

  • December 11, 2024

    Ga. Judge Refuses To Reconsider Toss Of Patient Data Suit

    A Georgia federal judge has refused to reconsider the dismissal of a proposed class action alleging Piedmont Healthcare Inc. unlawfully shared patients' health data with Facebook via the company's tracking pixel tool.

  • December 10, 2024

    UpHealth Says Glocal Execs Stalling On $115M Award Suit

    Digital health services company UpHealth has asked an Illinois federal judge to favor its efforts to pin down assets belonging to executives of Indian healthcare firm Glocal as it looks to enforce a $115 million arbitral award, saying the respondents are engaging in "obstructionist" conduct.

  • December 06, 2024

    Google Must Face Trimmed BIPA Suit Over IBM Dataset

    A California federal judge on Thursday permitted Illinois residents to proceed with a pared-down version of their proposed class action accusing Google of violating biometric privacy laws with facial data collected by IBM, ruling they've adequately alleged a violation of the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act.

  • December 06, 2024

    NC Hospital Gets Initial OK For $1.1M Data Breach Deal

    A North Carolina Business Court judge has given his initial seal of approval to a $1.1 million settlement agreement in a data breach class action against Columbus Regional Healthcare System.

  • December 06, 2024

    Colo. Children's Hospital Fined $548K For Phishing Attacks

    Children's Hospital Colorado was hit with a more than $548,000 fine over phishing and cyberattacks that violated patient privacy rules, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Expert Analysis

  • Health Policy Legislative Landscape May Remain Frozen

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    With Congress again delaying the full resolution of fiscal year 2024 federal spending legislation, there is now an additional window in which Congress could work through several priority issues for healthcare stakeholders, though these issues are unlikely to be resolved in time, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • What Businesses Should Know About NJ Privacy Bill

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    New Jersey’s recently passed comprehensive privacy bill S.B. 332 presents businesses with a nuanced framework and compliance obligations, including opt-in consent requirements for sensitive data, with recommendations for businesses to organize data, review consent requirements and more, says Trisha Sircar at Katten.

  • Staying Ahead Of The AI Policymaking Curve

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    With artificial intelligence poised to be the hottest legislative and regulatory topic in 2024, expect the AI policymaking toolbox to continue to expand and evolve as stakeholders in the U.S. and abroad develop, deploy, use and learn more about these technologies, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • The 7th Circ.'s Top 10 Civil Opinions Of 2023

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    Attorneys at Jenner & Block examine the most significant decisions issued by the Seventh Circuit in 2023, and explain how they may affect issues related to antitrust, constitutional law, federal jurisdiction and more.

  • DOJ's Biopharma Settlement Raises Anti-Kickback Questions

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    In the aftermath of the U.S. Department of Justice's settlement with Ultragenyx over genetic testing programs, it may be prudent to reevaluate genetic tests through the lens of the Anti-Kickback Statute and reconsider whether it is proper for free testing programs to be treated like patient assistance programs, says Mary Kohler at Kohler Health Law.

  • Uncharted Waters Ahead For FCA Litigation In 2024

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    Following a year of significant court decisions, settlements, recoveries and proposed amendments, 2024 promises to be a lively year for False Claims Act actions and litigation, and one that will hopefully provide more clarity as FCA jurisprudence evolves, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Healthcare Industry Must Prepare For Greater AI Regulation

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    Healthcare entities that use even basic machine-based systems should pay close attention to a recent executive order and a proposed bill, both of which focus on artificial intelligence safety and security, and signal the government's intent to establish a regulatory framework for AI-enabled technology, says Kristen Petry at Spencer Fane.

  • What To Know About FCA Cybersecurity Enforcement

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    Now is a good time for practitioners, government contractors and potential relators to review recent developments in cybersecurity-related False Claims Act enforcement, and consider best practices for navigating this space in the new year, say Ellen London at London & Stout, and Li Yu and Molly Knobler at DiCello Levitt.

  • Digging Into The Debate On FDA's Proposed Lab Test Rule

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    A proposed 10-word amendment from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration represents a sea change in device regulation as it would summarily end decades of FDA enforcement discretion for laboratory developed tests, and the public comments offer some insight into the future of this long-running saga, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • 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.

  • 5 Most Notable Class Action Standing Cases Of 2023

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    Key appellate class action decisions this past year continued the trend of a more demanding approach to the threshold issue of standing during each phase of litigation, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • How SEC And NY Cyber Reporting Rules Affect Key Industries

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    The new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and New York State Department of Financial Services cybersecurity disclosure requirements, and their competing obligations, reveal the increasing complexity for organizations evaluating and reacting to cybersecurity incidents — particularly those in the healthcare and financial services industries, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • 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.