Digital Health & Technology

  • May 15, 2024

    Blackbaud Dodges Data Breach Victims' Class Cert. Bid

    A South Carolina federal judge has refused to certify several proposed classes consisting of roughly 1.5 billion patients, donors and other individuals whose personal information was allegedly swept up in a 2020 ransomware attack on software provider Blackbaud Inc., finding that the plaintiffs had failed to show that class members could be easily identified. 

  • May 15, 2024

    UnitedHealth Concealed DOJ Merger Investigation, Suit Says

    UnitedHealth Group has been hit with a proposed shareholder class action alleging that it failed to disclose that the U.S. Department of Justice had reopened an antitrust investigation into the health insurance giant following its acquisition of a healthcare data company, and that top executives had sold more than $120 million of shares knowing about the investigation before a news report revealed it to the public.

  • May 14, 2024

    Under Fire For Lab Rule, FDA Remains Open To Lawmaking

    After a difficult run-up to a new federal rule on lab-developed tests, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration official overseeing medical devices voiced support Tuesday for additional lawmaking.

  • May 13, 2024

    Wash. Hospital Scores Exit In Facebook Privacy Suit, For Now

    A Washington federal judge has tossed a proposed class action accusing a Seattle-area hospital of sharing patients' confidential health information by using Facebook browser tracking tools, ruling on Monday the plaintiff has failed to show that her own private information was input into the website and shared with a third party.

  • May 13, 2024

    Philips Wants Cleaner Co. To Chip In For $1B CPAP Deal

    Koninklijke Philips NV has filed a third-party complaint in Pennsylvania federal court against SoClean Inc., which sells cleaning products for breathing devices, claiming SoClean and its parent should contribute to Philips' $1 billion settlement because its cleaners allegedly exacerbated the foam breakdown at the heart of the litigation.

  • May 10, 2024

    Retail Group Opposes $1B Arbitral Award Against Walgreens

    An advocacy group for the retail industry is backing Walgreens as it looks to set aside a nearly $1 billion arbitral award in a dispute with a COVID test maker, telling a Delaware federal judge that judicial intervention is warranted in this case.

  • May 10, 2024

    No 'Piecemeal' Fees For Infant Data Win Amid 6th Circ. Appeal

    A federal judge said Friday that he wouldn't award attorney fees to children who challenged Michigan's handling of blood samples collected in an infant health screening program until the state's Sixth Circuit appeal is resolved.

  • May 08, 2024

    Fla. Lab Owner Gets 10 Years For Unneeded Medical Tests

    A Florida medical lab owner has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges related to accusations that he billed Medicare for $53 million in unnecessary genetic cancer screening tests.

  • May 07, 2024

    MultiPlan, Insurance Cos. Accused Of Algorithmic Collusion

    A medical provider has lodged a proposed class action in Illinois federal court accusing MultiPlan and major insurance companies, including UnitedHealth, Aetna, Kaiser Permanente and Cigna, of using pricing tools to systematically underpay out-of-network providers.

  • May 07, 2024

    New FDA Device Rule No Cure For Unregulated Lab Tests

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's newly claimed authority over lab-developed tests will leave untold numbers of unregulated — and in some cases, inaccurate or otherwise faulty — tests in the hands of clinicians.

  • May 06, 2024

    Hooper Lundy Adds Government Relations Director

    An attorney who worked in-house for healthcare industry trade and advocacy associations has joined healthcare boutique Hooper Lundy & Bookman PC as director of government relations and public policy.

  • May 03, 2024

    Ala. High Court Won't Rethink Decision On Frozen Embryos

    The Alabama Supreme Court on Friday refused to revisit its February decision finding that frozen embryos count as children, a first-of-its-kind decision that has been received as potentially ruinous for in vitro fertilization services in the Yellowhammer State.

  • May 02, 2024

    Walgreens Fights $1B Arb. Award Over COVID Test Contract

    At-home lab test maker Everly Health urged a Delaware federal judge to affirm its nearly $1 billion arbitration award against Walgreens over claims the pharmacy chain deliberately misused the digital health platform's trademark while secretly diverting COVID-19 tests to its own pharmacists while Walgreens argued the arbitrator overstepped his authority in bestowing such an "egregious" award.

  • May 02, 2024

    Masimo Hit With Derivative Suit Over Audio Co. Acquisition

    The top brass at medical device company Masimo Corp. has been hit with a shareholder derivative action claiming they harmed the company and "confused" investors by pushing through a $1 billion acquisition of an audio equipment company, allegedly causing a steep drop in stock prices and a $5.1 billion market capitalization loss.

  • May 02, 2024

    Lawmaker Wants Antitrust Probe Of Health Insurance Data Co.

    Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is calling for antitrust enforcers to investigate concerns that MultiPlan and other healthcare data companies are hurting competition by helping health insurers effectively collude when making pricing decisions.

  • May 01, 2024

    Sens. Slam UnitedHealth's Security Lapses, Breach Response

    UnitedHealth's top executive faced heavy criticism during his first appearance before a U.S. Senate committee since a cyberattack rocked its Change Healthcare subsidiary, with lawmakers blasting the company for lacking basic security measures and for still not being able to confirm the scale and scope of the incident.

  • April 30, 2024

    What's Behind the Q1 Digital Health Funding Rebound

    The digital health industry saw a resurgence in funding at the start of 2024, driven by a handful of mega-rounds and growing deal sizes across the board, but it also faced record-low deal counts as investors signaled pickier attitudes over which ventures they're choosing to fund.

  • April 30, 2024

    Patients Sue NC Plasma Donation Co. Over Data Breach

    A plasma collection company has been hit in North Carolina federal court with at least two proposed class actions as of Monday claiming it failed to safeguard patient data, resulting in a breach in which names, Social Security numbers, addresses and treatment information were allegedly exposed by hackers.

  • April 30, 2024

    Tougher Privacy Rule Won't End Abortion Data Fight

    Healthcare attorneys welcomed enhanced federal protections for patient abortion records. But the new rule likely won't release providers from the bind of complying with federal privacy law while potentially facing out-of-state probes into sensitive patient information.

  • April 29, 2024

    UnitedHealth's Cyberattack Response Is 'Inadequate,' AGs Say

    Nearly two dozen state attorneys general urged UnitedHealth Group and its subsidiary Change Healthcare "to do more" to address the fallout from a February cyberattack by Russian ransomware group Blackcat that breached their systems and services, noting their response efforts to the outage "have been inadequate."

  • April 29, 2024

    Amid Backlash, FDA Extends Control For Lab-Developed Tests

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration inked a final rule Monday that gives the agency broad authority over lab-developed tests by classifying them as medical devices, a move that has drawn ire from congressional leadership and those in the healthcare and life sciences industries.

  • April 29, 2024

    AI Pharma Co. Sued By Investor Over Handling Of Fired CEO

    Artificial intelligence-driven pharmaceutical company Exscientia PLC has been hit with a proposed class action alleging its former CEO engaged in inappropriate personal relationships with employees, and that the company's chairman knew but concealed it.

  • April 29, 2024

    Philips Inks $1.1B Deal To Resolve CPAP Injury Claims

    The plaintiffs' attorneys leading a multidistrict litigation against Koninklijke Philips NV and some of its American subsidiaries announced Monday that they had reached a $1.1 billion settlement agreement for plaintiffs claiming that degraded foam in their breathing machines caused them personal injuries or will require long-term medical monitoring.

  • April 26, 2024

    Ill. Hospital Wins Dismissal Of Genetic Privacy Case

    An Illinois state court judge has thrown out a proposed class action accusing Advocate Health and Hospitals Corp. of violating the state's decades-old genetic information privacy law, saying Wednesday the lead plaintiff not only released the hospital system from liability, but was largely asked about her own medical status after she was already offered a job.

  • April 25, 2024

    Stryker Says Sanctions Bid Goes 'Galaxies Beyond' Law

    Medical device maker Stryker urged a Colorado federal judge to reject an ex-distributor's latest request for sanctions, arguing in a brief that the distributor's $2.2 million bid goes "galaxies beyond" what it asked for at trial and what the Tenth Circuit said the court could entertain.

Expert Analysis

  • EU Regulation Highlights AI Issues For Digital Health Cos.

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    As the regulation of artificial intelligence is high on the agenda for EU and U.K. policymakers and regulators, and likely imminent in the U.S., now is the time for providers in the digital health space to consider how compliance may need to change, and safeguard their position in the market, say Chris Eastham and Olivia Morgan at Fieldfisher.

  • What DOJ Enforcement Shift Means For Life Sciences Cos.

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    Though monitoring life science company compliance has historically been the domain of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, recent trends suggest that the U.S. Department of Justice may be assuming a primary role going forward, raising interesting questions for the industry, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Ransomware Payment Lessons Amid DOJ Recovery Success

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s recent successes clawing back ransom payments made to hacking groups provide companies an additional factor to consider when deciding whether to engage with law enforcement after experiencing a breach, whether to pay a ransom demand, and whether to try to recover the payment, says Tyler Bridegan at Wiley.

  • What's Next For DOJ's COVID Enforcement In Health Care

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    As we enter the end of the third year of the pandemic, a few fraud-related trends and risks have emerged, necessitating important steps that health care and life sciences companies should take in light of continuing U.S. Department of Justice scrutiny, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • How To Minimize Risk When Launching Smart Medical Devices

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    Prior to launching a smart medical device, there are several critical steps that companies can take in order to protect their intellectual property, get approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and ensure the safety of their data, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Health Issues To Watch In Inflation Act, Other Policy Initiatives

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    The newly signed Inflation Reduction Act includes a number of significant drug pricing reforms, and the future holds a wider array of health issues that may be addressed in pending legislation when Congress returns in September, says Miranda Franco at Holland & Knight.

  • DOJ Filing Reawakens Fraud-On-The-FDA Theory Of Liability

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s recent statement of interest in U.S. ex rel. Crocano v. Trividia Health before a Florida federal court represents a substantial attempt to revive a False Claims Act liability theory involving misstatements to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, potentially leading to increased scrutiny of medical products, say attorneys at Duane Morris.

  • Digital Health Cos. Should Expect More Scrutiny Amid Growth

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    As the digital health market continues to flourish, the privacy and security of patient data has become a focus of legislative, regulatory and interest group action, and developers should be motivated to reassure both regulators and consumers that users' data is adequately protected, say attorneys at Kirkland.

  • Anti-Kickback Circuit Split Holds Implications For Defendants

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    The Eighth Circuit's recent decision in U.S. v. D.S. Medical represents a significant step toward holding plaintiffs to more exacting burdens of proof in Anti-Kickback Statute False Claims Act suits, and the outcome of the resulting circuit split could decrease estimated damages for defendants, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Post-Dobbs HHS Guidance Brings Privacy Considerations

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, and ensuing guidance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will create new privacy compliance issues for health care providers and other companies collecting personal information concerning the use of reproductive health services, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • HHS Fraud Alert Is A Major Warning To Telehealth Industry

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    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently issued a rare fraud alert, indicating potential changes in telemedicine enforcement, and suggesting that digital health entities are likely to face subpoenas, civil investigative demands and other inquiries, say attorneys at Hooper Lundy.

  • FDA Medical Device Cyber Guidance Protects Patients, Cos.

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    By carefully following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations on cybersecurity for medical devices — including its latest guidance on premarket submissions — and anticipating, tracking and fixing vulnerabilities, manufacturers can reduce risks to patients, as well as their own risks of product liability and data breach claims, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • The State Of Digital Health Care's Pandemic Transformation

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    Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, tech companies are helping to drive the health industry's transition into a new era of greatly expanded digital health and remote care, though some new challenges involving system compatibility and cybersecurity have arisen as well, says Carter Gage at Sheppard Mullin.