Policy & Compliance

  • April 28, 2025

    Mich. Nurses Quit Claims Of Pay Withheld For Breaks Untaken

    Two registered nurses agreed to drop their claims of unpaid wages against the two locations of a Michigan healthcare system they had accused in federal court of requiring them to work through meal breaks without pay, ending the case Monday in federal court.

  • April 28, 2025

    2nd Circ. Upholds Clinic Manager's Repeat Charges For Fraud

    A decision that allowed the federal government to reindict a health clinic manager for a Medicare and tax fraud scheme can stand, a Second Circuit panel found Monday, agreeing with the lower court that his offenses were serious enough to permit it.

  • April 28, 2025

    Red States Want ACA Trans Health Rule Permanently Off Books

    A group of 15 red states that successfully got a Biden-era rule frozen that protected gender-affirming care under the Affordable Care Act have urged a Mississippi federal judge to rule the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services overstepped its authority and cannot require states to allow gender-affirming care for transgender people.

  • April 25, 2025

    HHS Sued Over Withholding Of $65.8M In Title X Funding

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services unlawfully withheld $65.8 million in federal grants for critically needed family planning services, a nonprofit alleged in a suit filed Thursday in D.C. federal court, saying the withholding seemed to be based, in part, on grantees' support for diversity, equity and inclusion.

  • April 25, 2025

    Justices Want More Info On HHS Authority In Task Force Row

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ordered the federal government and a group of Texas businesses and individuals to compile more information as to whether the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary has the authority to appoint members of a task force under the Affordable Care Act.

  • April 25, 2025

    Sutter Health To Pay $228M In Years-Old Antitrust Suit

    A class of millions of health insurance premium payors asked a California federal judge Friday to greenlight an eleventh-hour $228.5 million settlement resolving their long-running claims that hospital chain Sutter Health drives up costs by pushing all-or-nothing network deals on insurers.

  • April 25, 2025

    Refusing Mental Healthcare Means Liability, Pa. Justices Rule

    Physicians in Pennsylvania can be held liable for turning away a mental health patient who goes on to harm someone if that patient came to the hospital asking for help, the state Supreme Court ruled Friday.

  • April 25, 2025

    HHS Says Cuts Target Excess After Judge Seeks More Info

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told a Rhode Island federal judge that a group of states has no basis to challenge the cancellation of billions in grants supporting public health programs because they already received the funds appropriated to them by Congress.

  • April 25, 2025

    Trans Prisoners Fight For Care Over New White House Hurdles

    After staff at a New Jersey federal prison told Alishea Sophia Kingdom that, due to an executive order by President Donald Trump, she would no longer be receiving hormone therapy to treat gender dysphoria, Kingdom lodged the latest in a series of suits against the Federal Bureau of Prisons that contend following the executive order violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment.

  • April 25, 2025

    Organ Donor Network Wants Veteran's Waitlist Bias Suit Axed

    The United Network for Organ Sharing asked a Georgia federal court to toss a lawsuit filed against it and several university medical schools over allegations that they delayed a Black military veteran's ability to receive a kidney transplant by artificially inflating his kidney function scores.

  • April 25, 2025

    DOD To Assess Tricare Program Competition In Ga. And Fla.

    The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded contracts to CareSource Military and Veterans to compete with managed care support contractors in delivering health, medical and administrative support services to eligible Tricare beneficiaries in the Atlanta and Tampa markets. 

  • April 25, 2025

    2nd Circ. Says Withdrawn Application Dooms Age Bias Suit

    The Second Circuit refused to reopen a sleep doctor's lawsuit claiming a hospital refused to consider him for a job because he was 66 years old, saying his decision to turn down an interview after receiving a misaddressed email doomed his case.

  • April 25, 2025

    5 Issues Benefits Attys Want The Gov't To Shed Light On

    The first three months of President Donald Trump's administration have left lawyers who represent employers and benefit plans hungry for clarity on issues like cryptocurrency as a 401(k) investment and coverage for gender-affirming care. Here, Law360 looks at five areas where attorneys are hoping for guidance or regulations.

  • April 24, 2025

    Ex-Pain Clinic Owner Gets 3½ Years For Drug Test Scheme

    The former owner of a Pennsylvania pain management practice has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for conspiring with others to defraud Medicare by submitting unnecessary urine drug tests for chronic opioid patients at his medical clinics.

  • April 24, 2025

    'Egregious' Delays Wipe Out Ga. Health Fraud Case

    A Georgia federal judge on Thursday dismissed an eight-year-old case over alleged Medicaid fraud, calling the government's delays in bringing three healthcare executives to trial "egregious" and noting that the alleged criminal conduct took place between 12 and 25 years ago.

  • April 24, 2025

    No Greece Trip For Ex-Conn. Official Facing Corruption Cases

    A Connecticut federal judge on Thursday denied a former state official's request to take a trip to Greece amid two indictments, an order that came the day after the government opposed the plan.

  • April 24, 2025

    Polsinelli Gains 2 Healthcare Shareholders In Denver

    Polsinelli PC announced this week that it has brought two Denver-based attorneys from Husch Blackwell LLP and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to its healthcare practice, which the firm says gained six new shareholders in the past 12 months, not including these most recent additions.

  • April 24, 2025

    Harvard Seeks To Move 'Swiftly' In $2B Fund Freeze Suit

    Harvard University is seeking to move as quickly as possible to get to the merits of its suit challenging the Trump administration's $2.2 billion funding freeze, asking a Massachusetts federal judge to expedite discovery and briefing.

  • April 24, 2025

    Workplace Screening Co. To Pay $8M For False Billing Claims

    Vault Medical Services will pay $8 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly submitted false reimbursement claims for providing COVID-19 testing and other pandemic-related services to a federal program designated for uninsured patients.

  • April 23, 2025

    11th Circ. Considers Timeliness Of J&J Pelvic Mesh Claims

    An Alabama couple urged the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday to revive their lawsuit over injuries allegedly caused by pelvic mesh manufactured by Ethicon Inc. and its parent Johnson & Johnson, arguing that a district court wrongly found their claims were time-barred.

  • April 23, 2025

    Feds Oppose Ex-Conn. Official's 'Troubling' Greece Trip Plan

    Federal prosecutors on Wednesday opposed a twice-indicted ex-Connecticut budget official's request to spend six weeks in Greece visiting family as he awaits twin corruption trials, citing a skipped deadline to relinquish guns and the risk that he might use Greek citizenship to evade justice.

  • April 23, 2025

    Genetic Testing Co., Marketer Settle FCA Case For $6M

    A genetic testing company, marketing firm, and their top executives have agreed to pay $6 million to resolve the government's allegations that they billed Medicare for unnecessary medical tests, in violation of the False Claims Act.

  • April 23, 2025

    Eli Lilly Sues 4 Telehealth Cos. For Weight Loss Drug Copies

    Eli Lilly filed a new round of lawsuits Wednesday over the compounding of its popular weight loss drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound, accusing four telehealth companies of making copies of the medications while alleging that two companies violated laws requiring doctors to make medical decisions, not corporations. 

  • April 22, 2025

    Free Speech Experts Question DOJ Letter To Medical Journal

    A federal prosecutor's letter to a medical journal skeptically asking about its commitment to nonpartisan debate is an unusual intrusion into editorial decision-making and may interfere with the publication's First Amendment rights, free speech experts say.

  • April 22, 2025

    'Fetal Personhood' Animates Neb. Aborted-Remains Debate

    Nebraska lawmakers are sparring over a bill that would require healthcare facilities to bury or cremate fetal remains following an elective abortion. Supporters envision a "dignified" disposition. Opponents decry a requirement targeting providers while advancing the “fetal personhood” doctrine.

Expert Analysis

  • Motion To Transfer Venue Considerations For FCA Cases

    Author Photo

    Several recent decisions highlight the importance for practitioners of analyzing as early as possible whether a False Claims Act case warrants a change of venue, and understanding how courts weigh certain factors for defendants versus whistleblowers, say Ellen London at London & Stout, and Li Yu and Corey Lipton at DiCello Levitt.

  • A Primer On EU's Updated Human Substance Regulations

    Author Photo

    The European Union's updated standards regarding quality and safety of substances of human origin meant for human application carry significant implications for companies that work with cells and tissues, and U.S. companies active in the EU market should pay particular attention to the import and export rules, say Geneviève Michaux and Georgios Symeonidis at King & Spalding.

  • CFPB's Medical Debt Proposal May Have Side Effects

    Author Photo

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s recent proposal to prevent medical debt information from appearing on consumer reports and creditors from basing lending decisions on such information may have initial benefits for some consumers, but there are potential negative consequences that should also be considered, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • 15 Areas That Would Change Under Health Data Rule Proposal

    Author Photo

    If finalized, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's proposed rule will significantly progress its efforts to advance interoperability, respond to stakeholder concerns and clarify compliance with the health IT certification program, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • 3 Healthcare FCA Deals Provide Self-Disclosure Takeaways

    Author Photo

    Several civil False Claims Act settlements of alleged healthcare fraud violations over the past year demonstrate that healthcare providers may benefit substantially from voluntarily disclosing potential misconduct to both the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, say Brian Albritton and Raquel Ramirez Jefferson at Phelps Dunbar.

  • Takeaways From High Court's Tribal Health Admin Cost Ruling

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent determination that the government must reimburse two Native American tribes for administrative healthcare costs will help tribes maintain equal footing with the Indian Health Service when administering programs, and continues a pattern of how the current court aligns on tribal concerns, say attorneys at Lewis Roca.

  • FTC Focus: Private Equity Investments In Healthcare

    Author Photo

    As the Federal Trade Commission is tightening its scrutiny of private equity investment in healthcare, the agency is finding novel grounds to challenge key focus areas, including rollup acquisitions, the flip-and-strip approach and minority investments in rival providers, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • High Court's Expert Ruling May Help Health Fraud Defendants

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Diaz v. U.S. appears to give the government a powerful new tool in calling its own agents as expert witnesses, but it could also benefit defense counsel in criminal healthcare fraud and other white collar criminal cases that arise in complex legal or regulatory environments, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Unpacking HHS' Opinion On Cell Therapy Refund Programs

    Author Photo

    A recent advisory opinion from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, determining that a biopharma company's refund program for its cell therapy will not be penalized, indicates an encouraging willingness to engage, but the regulator's assumptions about the program's limited term warrant a closer look, says Mary Kohler at Kohler Health.

  • DOJ Innovasis Settlement Offers Lessons On Self-Disclosure

    Author Photo

    The recent $12 million settlement with Innovasis and two of its executives demonstrates the U.S. Department of Justice's continued prioritization of Anti-Kickback Statute enforcement amid the growing circuit split over causation, and illustrates important nuances surrounding self-disclosure, say Denise Barnes and Scott Gallisdorfer at Bass Berry.

  • How Orange Book Antitrust Scrutiny Is Intensifying

    Author Photo

    Pharmaceutical patent holders should be reviewing Orange Book listing practices, as the Federal Trade Commission takes a more aggressive antitrust approach with actions such as the Teva listing probe, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration calls attention to potentially improper listings, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • After Chevron: Slowing Down AI In Medical Research

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision overturning the Chevron doctrine may inhibit agencies' regulatory efforts, potentially slowing down the approval and implementation of artificial intelligence-driven methodologies in medical research, as well as regulators' responses to public health emergencies, say Ragini Acharya and Matthew Deutsch at Husch Blackwell.

  • FDA's Multifaceted Role On Display In MDMA Therapy Scrutiny

    Author Photo

    Ongoing deliberations at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder serves as a window into the intricate balance of scientific innovation and patient safety oversight, and offers crucial insights into regulatory nuances, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and Kevin Lanzo at Pharmaka Clinical Consulting.