Policy & Compliance
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August 06, 2024
Alabama Calls Its Gender Care Law A Rational Policy Choice
Alabama lawmakers acted out of a desire to protect children — not discriminatory intent — when they passed legislation that restricted gender-affirming care for minors, easily clearing the legal standard required to uphold the law, the state has told a federal judge.
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August 06, 2024
CMS Signals States Can Dump Medical Debt After NC Consent
After the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approved North Carolina's plan to offer enhanced Medicaid reimbursements for hospitals that forgive medical debts, other states could follow its lead. Some have questioned whether the state agency implementing the program can legally carry it out.
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August 06, 2024
Ethical, Legal Challenges Await La. Surgical Castration Law
Physicians in Louisiana may be forced to confront unusual ethical questions under a first-in-the-nation state law allowing judges to order the surgical castration of some sex offenders.
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August 06, 2024
5 More Podcasts For Health, Life Sciences Attorneys
As the days get hotter and the start of the school year gets closer, health and life sciences practitioners might need a respite. If you've been there and done that with Law360's first five recommended podcasts, here are five more to take you into the fall and beyond.
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August 05, 2024
Indivior Accused Of Overstating Prospects Of 3 Opioid Drugs
Drugmaker Indivior PLC has been hit with a proposed investor class action in Virginia federal court over claims it overstated the financial prospects of its drugs used to treat opioid use disorders and the company's ability to forecast such financial projections.
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August 05, 2024
Chinese Drug Co. Says Sanctions In Valsartan MDL Too Harsh
Chinese drug firm Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. told a New Jersey federal court Friday that sanctions authorizing two adverse jury instructions in multidistrict litigation over generic drugs contaminated with carcinogens should be overturned, arguing the plaintiffs did not allege the bad faith required for such a harsh penalty.
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August 05, 2024
Mich. Says HHS Can't Get Back $195M Medicaid Payments
The state of Michigan is asking a D.C. federal judge to bar the federal government from seeking repayment for $195 million in Medicaid payouts made to two state-operated hospitals that provided psychiatric services to state criminal defendant inmates, saying the government's payment withdrawal decision was made years too late and without proper notice.
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August 05, 2024
Mich. AG Defends Judge's Block Of Abortion Waiting Period
A Michigan judge's suspension of several state abortion regulations should be upheld, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel told appellate judges, saying the restrictions don't pass constitutional muster because they don't serve to protect women's health.
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August 05, 2024
Insurer Must Face Pa. Trans Firefighter's Surgery Claim
A Pennsylvania federal judge has refused to toss a suit from a transgender Philadelphia firefighter suing Independence Blue Cross for discrimination over the insurer's denial of coverage for facial feminization surgery, finding that claims under federal healthcare law could proceed, but not the Title VII claims.
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August 05, 2024
Nursing Home Flubs Make Reports Fair Game, NJ Justices Say
Two Garden State healthcare facilities failed to follow state regulations in after-incident reviews, making the normally privileged reports accessible to plaintiffs, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Monday.
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August 05, 2024
7th Circ. Backs Insurer's Win In Family's Autism Claims Fight
The Seventh Circuit on Monday affirmed a win for a Wisconsin health insurer in a family's dispute over coverage for autism therapies, finding that the insurer's denials of speech therapy to treat autism for a minor child were valid under a policy exclusion for treatments that weren't evidence-based.
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August 05, 2024
Fla. Man Gets 44 Months For $5M MilliporeSigma Export Scam
A Florida federal judge sentenced a Taiwanese citizen who lives in the Sunshine State to three years and eight months in prison for his role in a $5 million scheme to defraud life sciences company MilliporeSigma and the U.S. government by illegally exporting MilliporeSigma products to China.
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August 02, 2024
5th Circ. Upholds Challenge To Surprise Medical Billing Rule
The Fifth Circuit on Friday affirmed wins for plaintiffs challenging provisions of a federal surprise medical billing rule that relate to payment fights between out-of-network providers and health insurers, agreeing with a Texas federal judge that the rule places "a thumb on the scale" in insurers' favor.
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August 02, 2024
Fla.'s Trans Healthcare Ban Violates Title VII, Judge Says
A Florida federal judge has ruled the state's Department of Management Services illegally excluded gender-affirming treatment for transgender employees under state-sponsored health benefits plans, finding the state's exclusion only applies to trans individuals and is facially discriminatory under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
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August 02, 2024
Split 2nd Circ. Orders Partial Redo In Docs', Attys' Injury Scam
A divided Second Circuit panel on Friday upheld the convictions of three men who recruited patients for a more than $31 million trip-and-fall fraud scam that personal injury lawyers and doctors orchestrated, but remanded the case for further findings on the number of bogus accidents involved in the scheme.
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August 02, 2024
2nd Circ. Backs Conviction Over Fake-Therapy Scheme
The Second Circuit on Friday refused to overturn the conviction of a therapist who was found guilty of bilking a New York state program for developmentally disabled children, saying the trial court didn't err in declining to excuse a juror who had loose ties to a government witness.
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August 02, 2024
Family Denied Quick Win In Insurer's $2M Nursing Home Suit
An insurer for a now-bankrupt Georgia nursing home doesn't have to cover a $2.1 million judgment awarded to the family of a woman who died in the facility's care, a federal judge ruled Friday, finding an agreement between the facility and the family released the facility from all liability.
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August 02, 2024
Rehab Center Fired Nurse Over Sleeping Disorder, EEOC Says
A rehabilitation and assisted living facility fired a nurse after refusing to rework her schedule to accommodate a sleep disorder that keeps her awake at night and asleep during the day, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission told a Texas federal court.
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August 01, 2024
Utah High Court Upholds Pause On State Abortion Ban
The Utah Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a pause on the state's near-total abortion ban while a constitutional challenge to the law proceeds, agreeing with a lower court's conclusion that the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah had standing to bring its challenge.
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August 01, 2024
Novo Nordisk Loses Challenge To Medicare Drug Price Talks
Another challenge to a Medicare drug price negotiation program has failed after a New Jersey federal judge ruled once again that the program is voluntary and rejected claims that it violates the constitutional rights of pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk.
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August 01, 2024
DLA Piper Hires Longtime Williams & Jensen Partner In DC
DLA Piper has hired a former Williams & Jensen PLLC attorney who spent 24 years there working on healthcare public policy issues and representing biopharmaceutical companies and various insurance providers, the firm has announced.
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August 01, 2024
Hogan Lovells Recruits Two From Foley Hoag To Health Team
Hogan Lovells said Thursday it has hired two Foley Hoag partners experienced in complex regulatory, legislative and legal policy affecting medical technology and biopharmaceutical companies to join the firm's health practice.
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July 31, 2024
Wells Fargo Let Workers' Prescription Costs Soar, Suit Says
A group of former Wells Fargo employees have accused the banking giant of mismanaging its prescription drug benefits program, costing its Employee Retirement Income Security Act plan and employees millions of dollars in premiums and medication costs, according to a proposed class action in Minnesota federal court.
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July 31, 2024
Wash. Hospital Workers Keep $230M Wage Win, Attys Get 30%
A Washington state court rejected a hospital system's attempt to undo its nearly $230 million loss in a class wage and hour case, ruling Wednesday that jurors reasonably relied on expert damages calculations, while also signing off on a roughly $70 million attorney fee award for class counsel.
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July 31, 2024
Inhaler Patents 'Must Be' In Orange Book, Teva Tells Fed. Circ.
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. urged the Federal Circuit to upend a lower court decision ejecting inhaler device patents from an important government database, arguing that the delisting, won by Amneal Pharmaceuticals Inc. in an infringement lawsuit, ignores broad protection envisioned under intellectual property law.
Expert Analysis
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4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News
Media coverage of new lawsuits exploded last year, demonstrating why defense attorneys should devise a public relations plan that complements their legal strategy, incorporating several objectives to balance ethical obligations and advocacy, say Nathan Burchfiel at Pinkston and Ryan June at Castañeda + Heidelman.
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Digging Into The Debate On FDA's Proposed Lab Test Rule
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.
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Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends
Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.
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AI In Health Law: The Top Guest Articles Of 2023
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.
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The Most-Read Legal Industry Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023
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.
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Inside Higher Education's New FCA Liability Challenges
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.
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AI Executive Order's Life Science, Healthcare Industry Effects
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.
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HHS Advisory Highlights Free Product Inducement Risks
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.
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Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities
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.
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In The World Of Legal Ethics, 10 Trends To Note From 2023
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.
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How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season
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.
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Top 10 Whistleblowing And Retaliation Events Of 2023
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.
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Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
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.