Federal Court Denies Remand and Grants Dismissal Based upon PREP Act
Written by: Sandra Mekita Cianflone, Esq. and Laura Hall Cartner, Esq. On February 10, 2021, James V. Selna in the Central District of California denied Plaintiffs’ Motion to Remand and granted Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss in Garcia
Seniors Impacted by Dual Health Crises: COVID & Opioid Misuse
Elderly people are facing a confluence of health crises right now: COVID-19 and opioid misuse. Seniors are already the most heavily impacted population for COVID-19 hospitalizations and death rates, and a concurrent acceleration of opioid misuse
Major EHR Vendor Settles False Claims Act Allegations
Health IT company Athenahealth, a major developer and vendor of electronic health record (EHR) services, agreed to pay over $18 million to settle federal False Claims Act allegations related to purported kickbacks from 2014 to 2020...
Another Casualty of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Resolution of Opioid Litigation
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause countless disruptions to everyday life, including resolution of one of the largest civil cases in U.S. history — the landmark opioid litigation. Tens of billions of dollars are at stake as more than 3,0
Updates to Georgia’s Nursing Home Medicaid Financial Limits and Medicare Increases
As 2021 quickly approaches, the updated financial limitations for Nursing Home Medicaid and increases to Medicare costs have been released. While the new limits have been released, the Public Health Emergency (“PHE”) remains in effect until
HHS proposes major changes to HIPAA’s Privacy Rule
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently published proposed modifications to the HIPAA privacy rule, which, if finalized, would significantly impact Covered Entities’ responses to records requests.
HHS Proposed Regulatory Reform Rule Will Require Vigilant Monitoring
Written by: Angela Tompkins, MSHA, RN, Esq. Earlier this month, The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking requiring the Department to assess its regulations every ten years to determine whether they
CDC Federal Advisory Committee Recommends Giving Priority for COVID-19 Vaccines to Healthcare Workers and Long-Term Care Facility Residents in Wake of Deadline for States to Submit Their Vaccination Plans This Friday
Written by: Alex Battey, Esq. and Paige Nettles, Esq. On Tuesday, December 1, 2020 the independent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a panel advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevision on the implementation of COVID
Opioid Overdose Deaths Surge During COVID-19 Pandemic, Alarming Health Officials
The number of Americans dying from opioid overdoses surged dramatically in 2020 while the coronavirus pandemic was raging, causing alarm among public health officials and setting the stage for an increase in opioid litigation. More than 81,000 d
CMS Releases New Podcast Series for Frontline Staff of Nursing Homes to Prevent Spread of COVID-19
Written by: Alex Battey, Esq. and Laura Hall Cartner, Esq. In early 2019, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services created a podcast entitled “CMS Beyond the Policy,” describing podcasts as a “modern, user-friendly” method of keepi