Policy & Compliance

  • April 02, 2024

    SF City Atty Says Gov't Has Duty To Probe Hospital Rankings

    As law schools, medical schools and health systems continue to raise concerns over the veracity of annual rankings published by U.S. News and World Report, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu is holding fast to his belief that his office has an important role to play in pushing for transparency from the publication. Here, he discusses the U.S. News suit against him and how his investigation fits into his office's consumer protection work.

  • April 01, 2024

    Ga., FTC Seek $17M+ Fine And Ban On Doc's Stem Cell Ads

    After securing an early win last week against a Georgia doctor and a series of companies that marketed stem cell therapy as a cure-all miracle treatment, federal regulators and the state of Georgia asked a federal judge Monday for $17.7 million in fines and an injunction barring the defendants from any future endeavors in the medical marketing industry.

  • April 01, 2024

    Swedish Match Sued Over Allegedly Youth Targeted Zyn Ads

    Philip Morris International and its subsidiary Swedish Match North America LLC have been hit with a putative class action from an unnamed California man alleging he became addicted to the company's Zyn smokeless oral nicotine pouches when he was a minor because of the product's marketing campaign.

  • April 01, 2024

    Ex-Pharma Co. Exec Denies Signing Noncompete Deal

    The former director of government sales for a pharmaceutical company asked the North Carolina Business Court on Friday to knock out a breach of contract claim in a lawsuit that alleges he took trade secrets to a competitor, arguing the company has no valid noncompete agreement to back it up.

  • April 01, 2024

    Cigna Can't Escape Patients' ERISA Fight Over Claim Rates

    A Connecticut federal judge agreed to trim a federal benefits lawsuit against Cigna alleging the company underpaid claims from providers who indirectly contracted with the insurer, finding allegations from participants in employer-sponsored health plans could proceed to discovery but that several medical associations lacked standing to sue.

  • April 01, 2024

    Fla. Justices Uphold Abortion Ban, Approve Pro-Choice Ballot Measure

    The Florida Supreme Court on Monday upheld a 15-week abortion ban in the state while also approving an initiative to preserve abortion access for placement on the ballot in November, leaving it to voters to decide the state's post-Dobbs future.

  • April 01, 2024

    Amazon's Disability Inclusion Efforts A Sham, Suit Says

    Amazon's stated commitments to disability inclusion are a sham, a California worker with cerebral palsy claimed in a proposed class action, saying the company gave him a warehouse gig despite his many warnings that he couldn't meet the job's physical demands.

  • March 29, 2024

    Calif. Justices Rule Living Wills Not A Path To Arbitration

    The California Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that an advance healthcare directive, or living will, does not permit a designated power of attorney to opt into arbitration on a patient's behalf, a decision that, while blessed by consumer groups, left some in the medical community "pretty disappointed."

  • March 29, 2024

    Hogan Lovells Vet's High Court Debut A Study In Contrasts

    Several weeks ago, when a Hogan Lovells lawyer finally delivered U.S. Supreme Court arguments after 20 years at the firm, she parsed arcane arbitration issues and her words weren't widely heard outside the courtroom. But weeks later and back at the high court podium, her words were heard nationwide when she pointedly spotlighted a judge's use of "anonymous blog posts" in a bombshell abortion ruling.

  • March 29, 2024

    Home Depot Asks High Court To Block $2.67B BCBS Deal

    Home Depot has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up its challenge of a $2.67 billion settlement in antitrust litigation targeting Blue Cross Blue Shield, saying the deal immunizes activity that hurts competition.

  • March 29, 2024

    Ohio Abortion Providers File Suit Over 24-Hour Wait Period

    A group of Ohio organizations filed a lawsuit Friday on behalf of abortion providers in the state, arguing certain longstanding abortion regulations violate amendments made to the state's constitution in November that protect access to abortion care.

  • March 29, 2024

    Retired Sidley Austin Atty Joins Pharma Group's Case

    A former Sidley Austin LLP attorney said Thursday that he is coming out of retirement to work for a pharmaceutical coalition in its push for protection from anti-kickback restrictions in a federal lawsuit.

  • March 28, 2024

    Medical Lab Inks $2.1M Deal To End NC's False Claims Probe

    A North Carolina lab will pay back $2.1 million to the state's Medicaid program after settling an investigation into how it charged the public health program for tests, the state attorney general's office announced Thursday.

  • March 28, 2024

    9th Circ. Won't Let Cigna Patients Appeal Class Cert. Denial

    The Ninth Circuit won't let a group of Cigna plan participants immediately appeal a trial court's rejection of class status in their lawsuit accusing the insurance giant of unlawfully colluding with its billing contractor to underpay out-of-network claims for mental health treatments.

  • March 28, 2024

    Implant Maker's Bribe Case Ripe For Trimming, Judge Says

    A money laundering charge levied against implant manufacturer SpineFrontier Inc. and its executives may be dropped from the broader bribery and kickback prosecution as a Boston federal judge Thursday struggled to square up how the company could have allegedly concealed the unlawful transfers to surgeons while also disclosing them publicly.

  • March 28, 2024

    Doctor Allowed To Withdraw NBA Fraud Plea, Gets June Trial

    A Manhattan federal judge will allow a Seattle-area doctor to pull back his guilty plea and go to trial in June, against prosecutors' objections, in a case alleging he assisted a cohort of retired NBA players to create fake invoices to submit to the league's healthcare plan.

  • March 28, 2024

    Grading Garland: Attys Give AG Mixed Reviews 3 Years In

    U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland's name won't be on the ticket in November, but his performance three years into his tenure is a subplot in the 2024 presidential election.

  • March 28, 2024

    Feds Finalize Restraints On Short-Term Health Insurance

    President Joe Biden's administration finalized regulations Thursday that shrink the window for short-term, limited-duration health insurance from three years to no more than four months, but it backed off more sweeping changes from its July proposal that would have affected fixed indemnity insurance.

  • March 28, 2024

    Romney Tells DEA Pot Review Must Heed Treaty Obligations

    Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, on Wednesday expressed skepticism about federal health regulators' recommendation to loosen marijuana restrictions and pressed the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to explain how it would consider the drug's status in light of U.S. treaties.

  • March 27, 2024

    Idaho AG Won't Defend Abortion Stance, Confusing 9th Circ.

    The Idaho solicitor general insisted at a hearing before the Ninth Circuit Wednesday that the state's attorney general isn't "trying to be cute" by refusing to defend his expansive interpretation of Idaho's abortion ban in front of a baffled appellate panel.

  • March 27, 2024

    Ill. Court Revives Med Mal Suit Over Gauze Left In Sinus

    An Illinois appeals court has revived a woman's suit against her doctor and SIU Physicians & Surgeons Inc. over gauze that she alleges was negligently left in her sinuses after a procedure, finding there's a factual dispute over when the woman found out about the gauze.

  • March 27, 2024

    BCBS Can't Escape Therapy Coverage Suit

    A North Carolina federal judge refused to throw out a proposed class action accusing Blue Cross Blue Shield of unlawfully refusing to cover proton beam therapy to treat prostate cancer, saying the case could remain in court if a state worker health plan is added as a defendant.

  • March 26, 2024

    Breaking Down The Supreme Court's Abortion Pill Arguments

    The same U.S. Supreme Court that undid the federal right to an abortion two years ago seems a lot less keen to limit access to the abortion medication mifepristone.

  • March 26, 2024

    EEOC Disability Bias Suit Over Welder's Meds Sent To Trial

    A U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission disability bias suit needs a jury's review, a Texas federal judge found, saying too many fact issues prevented the court from determining whether an oilfield manufacturer unlawfully yanked a job offer from a welder over his opioid use disorder medication.

  • March 26, 2024

    New Feldesman Atty Talks 'Crucial' Drug Discount Program

    Feldesman Leifer LLP in Washington D.C., has welcomed healthcare attorney Stephen Kuperberg — an expert on the federal 340B drug discount program — to its healthcare and government investigations teams.

Expert Analysis

  • Law Firm Professional Development Steps To Thrive In AI Era

    Author Photo

    As generative artificial intelligence tools rapidly evolve, professional development leaders are instrumental in preparing law firms for the paradigm shifts ahead, and should consider three strategies to help empower legal talent with the skills required to succeed in an increasingly complex technological landscape, say Steve Gluckman and Anusia Gillespie at SkillBurst Interactive.

  • HHS Neuromonitoring Advisory May Have Broad Relevance

    Author Photo

    The Health Department Office of Inspector General's recent advisory opinion rejecting a neuromonitoring service's proposal for a shell arrangement isn't surprising, but it could be a harbinger of more warnings against problematic joint venture arrangements to come, says Mary Kohler at Kohler Health Law.

  • Potential Marijuana Status Change Would Shift Industry Risks

    Author Photo

    Cannabis companies and their insurers should pay close attention to how the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' move toward marijuana reclassification plays out, and the potential for a shakeup in the landscape for cannabis regulation at the state and federal levels, says Ian Stewart at Wilson Elser.

  • Merger Proposals Reflect Agency Leaders' Antitrust Principles

    Author Photo

    Attorneys at Covington trace the recently proposed Hart-Scott-Rodino and merger guidelines changes to certain foundational concerns of the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division leadership, including issues related to concentration associated with horizontal and vertical mergers.

  • The Basics Of Being A Knowledge Management Attorney

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
    Author Photo

    Michael Lehet at Ogletree Deakins discusses the role of knowledge management attorneys at law firms, the common tasks they perform and practical tips for lawyers who may be considering becoming one.

  • A Look At The Tribal Health Reimbursements Circuit Split

    Author Photo

    A circuit split regarding whether Native American tribes are entitled to contract support costs on health care services paid by third-party revenues sets the stage for potential review by the U.S. Supreme Court, and could result in the Indian Health Service paying hundreds of millions more in much-needed funding to tribal health programs, say Geoffrey Strommer and Steve Osborne at Hobbs Straus.

  • What Big Tobacco's Cannabis Investments Mean For Market

    Author Photo

    The tobacco industry appears to be shoring up investments in the cannabis market, most recently with Philip Morris’ purchase of an Israeli cannabis tech company, pointing to a bright future for vaped and noncombustible products, and signaling that marijuana rescheduling may be on the horizon, say Slates Veazey and Whitt Steineker at Bradley Arant.

  • To Hire And Keep Top Talent, Think Beyond Compensation

    Author Photo

    Firms seeking to appeal to sophisticated clients and top-level partners should promote mentorship, ensure that attorneys from diverse backgrounds feel valued, and clarify policies about at-home work, says Patrick Moya at Quaero Group.

  • How Merger Review Overhaul Could Affect Health Industry

    Author Photo

    For those in the health care industry considering growth and expansion strategies, the antitrust agencies' recent proposals for new Hart-Scott-Rodino rules and more complex merger guidelines will increase deal timelines, the merging parties' burden, and overall uncertainty and potential antitrust risk as to the outcome, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • What Circuit Split May Mean For FCA Kickback Liability

    Author Photo

    The recent circuit split on the meaning of the resulting-from provision in False Claims Act kickback cases could have significant ramifications for FCA liability, as it could affect the standard of causation that plaintiffs must meet to establish liability, say former federal prosecutors Li Yu, Ellen London and Gregg Shapiro.

  • More States Should Join Effort To Close Legal Services Gap

    Author Photo

    Colorado is the most recent state to allow other types of legal providers, not just attorneys, to offer specific services in certain circumstances — and more states should rethink the century-old assumptions that shape our current regulatory rules, say Natalie Anne Knowlton and Janet Drobinske at the University of Denver.

  • How Health Cos. Can Brace For Tracking Tech Scrutiny

    Author Photo

    A joint letter sent by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights and Federal Trade Commission last month highlights the agencies' concerns about tracking technologies, and may foreshadow a spike in enforcement actions, say attorneys at Moses Singer.

  • Identifying Trends And Tips In Litigation Financing Disclosure

    Author Photo

    Growing interest and controversy in litigation financing raise several salient concerns, but exploring recent compelled disclosure trends from courts around the country can help practitioners further their clients' interests, say Sean Callagy and Samuel Sokolsky at Arnold & Porter.