Policy & Compliance

  • August 01, 2025

    J&J Unit's Catheter Rival Scores Injunction After $442M Win

    A California federal judge will block Johnson & Johnson's Biosense Webster from refusing clinical support for its Carto cardio mapping systems from hospitals that use competitors' cardiac catheters, requiring the company to institute nondiscriminatory pricing for its services at hospitals regardless of which products they use.

  • July 31, 2025

    Justices Told State Med Mal Laws Fly In Federal Court

    A Delaware federal court must apply a state statute requiring an expert affidavit in all medical malpractice suits, a hospital defendant told the U.S. Supreme Court, as key aspects of the Delaware law and similar statutes in 28 other states "should not be checked at the federal courthouse doors."

  • July 31, 2025

    EEOC Says Hospital Wrong To Fire Worker Allergic To Vaccine

    A hospital violated federal disability law when it fired a worker in its insurance department who didn't get the COVID-19 vaccine because she was allergic to it, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged in Illinois federal court Thursday.

  • July 31, 2025

    HHS Plans To Test Rebates In 340B Drug Pricing Program

    The Trump administration on Thursday announced plans for a pilot project that would allow certain drugmakers to abandon upfront discounts in the 340B program and instead require hospitals to apply for rebates, testing an idea that would fundamentally reshape the long-running program.

  • July 31, 2025

    J&J Fired Sales Worker Who Reported Pay Issue, Suit Says

    Johnson & Johnson wrongly credited a former executive sales representative's sales to another worker, leading to lost earned commissions, and then fired him once he complained, the former employee said in a suit in Texas federal court.

  • July 30, 2025

    Illumina To Pay $9.8M To Resolve Cybersecurity Qui Tam Case

    Biotechnology company Illumina Inc. has agreed to pay $9.8 million in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice to put to rest a first-of-its-kind False Claims Act suit alleging the company violated cybersecurity regulations for medical devices, according to an announcement Wednesday.

  • July 30, 2025

    Anesthesia Giant Keeps Poaching Claims In Antitrust Row

    A New York federal judge refused Tuesday to nix counterclaims from North America's largest anesthesia provider, facing a Syracuse hospital's antitrust allegations, accusing the hospital of illegally recruiting away dozens of its clinicians and thus interfering with its employment agreements.

  • July 30, 2025

    CVS Can't Arbitrate RICO Suit Over Alleged 'No Generic' Policy

    CVS effectively forfeited its arbitration rights in proposed class action litigation accusing it of conspiring to block Medicare beneficiaries from accessing generic versions of prescription drugs, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled in denying the company's bid to enforce an arbitration agreement.

  • July 30, 2025

    FDA's Vaccine Chief Is Out After Loyalty To Trump Questioned

    Dr. Vinay Prasad's tenure as the top vaccine regulator at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ended abruptly this week following intense criticism from conservative activists who questioned his loyalty to President Donald Trump.

  • July 30, 2025

    GTCR Denied Rival's Old Sales Prospects Data In FTC Case

    An Illinois federal judge refused Tuesday to force a rival medical device coatings company to cough up old sales projections data so private equity firm GTCR BC Holdings can defend against a Federal Trade Commission challenge to its $627 million purchase of Surmodics.

  • July 30, 2025

    DHS Sinks Docs' Free Speech Suit Over COVID Policies

    A Texas federal judge on Wednesday dismissed free speech claims brought against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and three specialty medical boards by a doctor group claiming the government and boards punished them for disapproving of COVID-19 vaccines and mandates. 

  • July 30, 2025

    $1.6M UHC Reimbursement Suit Kicked Back To State Court

    A lawsuit alleging that United Healthcare of North Carolina Inc. underpaid a hospital system by at least $1.6 million in reimbursements does not belong in federal court, a North Carolina federal judge ruled Monday.

  • July 30, 2025

    Fla. AG Allowed To Drop Sandoz Generics Price-Fixing Claims

    After several months of wrangling over the terms of a $10 million generic drug price-fixing settlement, a Connecticut federal judge on Wednesday granted Florida's request to permanently drop its claims against Sandoz, finding that it would be an abuse of discretion to hold up the resolution any longer.

  • July 30, 2025

    Database Administrator Was Employee, Court Told

    A former database administrator was misclassified as an independent contractor, he alleged in a proposed class and collective action in New York federal court against companies including Express Scripts and Cigna, saying he was effectively an employee.

  • July 29, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Backs Rejection Of Man's HPV Vaccine Claims

    A man who claimed vaccines he received as a teen, including one meant to guard against HPV, caused him to develop inflammatory bowel disease will receive no payments under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, the Federal Circuit ruled on Tuesday, affirming a determination that his theory that vaccines caused his illness is unsupported.

  • July 29, 2025

    Ambulance Co. Can't Undo $2.3M Verdict In Wash. Crash Case

    A Washington Court of Appeals panel has affirmed an ambulance operator's $2.3 million trial court loss in a patient's family's wrongful death case over a crash, rejecting the company's argument that its crew was shielded from liability by a state law that protects first responders providing emergency medical services.

  • July 29, 2025

    Trump Says High Court Rulings Undermine Wash. Halt On EOs

    Recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court undermine a Washington federal judge's finding that portions of two executive orders concerning gender-affirming care and transgender identity likely violate the Constitution, the Trump administration argued in recent filings.

  • July 29, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Renew Suit Over Wash. Ban On 'DIY' Rape Kits

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Tuesday refused to revive a constitutional challenge to Washington state's ban on self-administered DNA evidence collection kits for sexual assault survivors, concluding that the plaintiff company failed to show the law illegally restricts commercial speech.

  • July 29, 2025

    DOD Expands Tricare's Clinical Trial Benefit

    The U.S. Department of Defense has issued a final rule that makes health insurance coverage for clinical trials aimed at treating and preventing COVID-19 and other infectious diseases permanent for military personnel, retirees and their families.

  • July 29, 2025

    Detroit Casino Can't Beat Denied Vaccine Exemption Suit

    A dozen former supervisors at a Detroit casino can proceed to trial on claims that their employer refused to accommodate their religiously motivated requests to skip the COVID-19 vaccine, a Michigan federal judge has ruled.

  • July 29, 2025

    9th Circ. Rescinds Ruling On Wash. Abortion Coverage Law

    A Ninth Circuit panel has walked back a published March opinion rejecting a Christian church's challenge to a Washington state law mandating employer health coverage of abortion services, saying in a Tuesday order that the federal appeals court would issue a new ruling following additional oral arguments.

  • July 29, 2025

    RFK Jr. Slams Vaccine Injury Program: 3 Things To Know

    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is taking aim at the national program that compensates people for vaccine injuries, calling it a "heartless" system that he intends to fix.

  • July 29, 2025

    Travelers Gets Trim Of Ex-Worker's Tobacco Health Fee Suit

    A Minnesota federal judge pared down claims Tuesday from a former Travelers worker's suit alleging the insurance and financial services company unlawfully imposed a surcharge on the health plans of employees who disclosed they were tobacco users and thereby violated nondiscrimination provisions in federal benefits law.

  • July 29, 2025

    UnitedHealth Urges 6th Circ. To Affirm ERISA Preemption

    UnitedHealth Group Inc. urged the Sixth Circuit to affirm the dismissal of a man's claims that UnitedHealth defrauded him into reimbursing the health insurance giant for $25,000, arguing that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 completely preempts such claims brought under state law.

  • July 29, 2025

    Organ Procurement's Dilemma: How Do You Diagnose Death?

    A Kentucky man nearly had his organs removed for donation despite showing signs of life. Now a federal investigation is putting a spotlight on how doctors diagnose death prior to organ transplants.

Expert Analysis

  • How Trump Orders Affect Health Orgs.' Care For Trans Minors

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    Two recent executive orders issued by President Donald Trump regarding gender-affirming care for minors have put healthcare organizations in a precarious situation, and these institutions should prepare for various implications and potential scenarios, say attorneys at ArentFox.

  • Reproductive Health Under Trump So Far, And What's Next

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    Based on priorities stated so far, the Trump administration will likely continue to weaken Biden-era policies that protect reproductive health, with abortion, in vitro fertilization and contraception all being issues to watch closely amid a post-Dobbs shift, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • What's Next For Lab Test Regulation Without FDA Authority

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    A recent Texas federal court decision vacating the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's final rule that would apply FDA regulations to laboratory-developed tests signals potential positive impacts in the diagnostic space, and could inspire more healthcare entities to litigate against the government, say attorneys at Hooper Lundy.

  • 6 Criteria Can Help Assess Executive Branch Actions

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    With new executive policy changes announced seemingly every day, several questions can help courts, policymakers and businesses determine whether such actions are proper, effective and in keeping with our democratic norms, say Marc Levin and Khalil Cumberbatch at the Council on Criminal Justice.

  • Learning From COVID-19 Enforcement Against Nursing Homes

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    Five years after the COVID-19 outbreak caused a high number of deaths in nursing homes, an examination of enforcement actions against nursing homes in New York and elsewhere in the country highlights obstacles that may arise when bringing cases of this type, and ways to overcome them, says Kenneth Levine at Stone & Magnanini.

  • How Plan Sponsors Can Mitigate Risk In PBM Contracts

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    A recent lawsuit in New York federal court alleges that JPMorgan caused exorbitant prescription costs by mishandling the pharmacy benefit manager arrangement, adding to a growing body of Employee Retirement Income Security Act fiduciary breach litigation and affirming that fiduciaries must proactively manage their healthcare plan vendors, say attorneys at Hall Benefits Law.

  • 4th Circ. Health Data Ruling Opens Door To State Law Claims

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    In Real Time Medical v. PointClickCare, the Fourth Circuit recently clarified that state law claims can rest in part on violations of a federal law that prohibits electronic health information blocking, expanding legal risks for health IT companies and potentially creating exposure to a range of competitive implications, say attorneys at BCLP.

  • Unpacking Trump Admin Plans For Value-Based Care

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    Recent developments from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation suggest the Trump administration intends to put its own stamp on value-based care, emphasizing cost savings assessment in particular, with its recent cancellation of several payment models that had supported primary care, says Miranda Franco at Holland & Knight.

  • What To Expect For Stem Cell Regulation Under Trump Admin

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    The new administration's push for deregulation, plus the post-Chevron legal landscape, and momentum from key political and industry players to facilitate stem cell innovation may create an opportune backdrop for a significant reduction in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's regulatory framework for stem cells, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • How Importers Can Minimize FCA Risks Of Tariff Mitigation

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    False Claims Act risks are inherent in many tariff mitigation strategies, making it important for importers to implement best practices to identify and report potential violations of import regulations before they escalate, says Samuel Finkelstein at LMD Trade Law.

  • 10 Practical Takeaways From FDA's Biopharma AI Guidance

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    Recent guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides much-needed insight on the usage of artificial intelligence in producing information to support regulatory decision-making regarding drug safety, with implications ranging from life cycle maintenance to AI tool acquisition, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Lawmakers Shouldn't Overlook Rare Disease Therapies' Value

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    As the ORPHAN Cures Act is pending in Congress, policymakers assessing the value of certain drugs for price regulation should consider data beyond what is collected in clinical trials, say Alice Chen at the University of Southern California, and Molly Frean and Yao Lu at Analysis Group.

  • What Trump's Order Means For The Legal Status Of IVF

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    An executive order signed by President Donald Trump last month signals the administration's potential intention to increase protections for in vitro fertilization services, though more concrete actions would be needed to resolve the current uncertainty around IVF access or bring about a binding legal change, says Jeanne Vance at Weintraub Tobin.