Policy & Compliance
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July 22, 2025
Medicaid Cuts To Raise Staffing Pressure On Nursing Homes
Massive changes coming to Medicaid are expected to push more seniors reliant on state-supported services into nursing homes, adding pressure to a system already struggling with staffing and quality of care issues.
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July 22, 2025
Lawmakers Consider Case Of Would-Be Donor's 'Signs Of Life'
The nation's organ transplant system is again under the microscope of federal lawmakers after a federal investigation found that a Kentucky organ procurement organization moved forward with the transplant process despite the patient showing "signs of life."
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July 22, 2025
FDA Talks Transparency. Drug Cos. Ask How Far It Will Go
The first batch of rejection letters published as part of the FDA’s new transparency effort didn’t shake up the pharmaceutical industry. But future releases could trigger litigation and influence drug-development strategies, depending on how far the agency is willing to go.
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July 22, 2025
Judge Blocks Some Planned Parenthood Cuts In Partial Ruling
A Massachusetts federal judge partially blocked a measure passed by Congress this month stripping Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood-affiliated facilities, but only as it applies to those that do not provide abortions or that receive minimal federal support.
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July 22, 2025
A Billing Code 'Ambiguity' Retrial: 3 Things To Know
A Maryland doctor found guilty by a federal jury two years ago in a COVID-19 testing scheme, only to see his conviction thrown out, is once again facing a criminal trial. Law360 Healthcare Authority examines the restarted prosecution and talks to experts about what makes the case so unusual.
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July 21, 2025
Wash. Plastic Surgeon Can't Get $13M Jury Verdict Overturned
A Washington appeals court panel refused on Monday to undo a $13 million jury verdict against a plastic surgeon in a medical malpractice case, rejecting the doctor's argument that the lower court wrongly allowed evidence of state regulators' unrelated disciplinary proceedings against her.
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July 21, 2025
Pa. Hospital Can Shield Some Docs In Birth Injury Suit
A Pennsylvania state appeals panel won't force a hospital to turn over all of its internal reports in a suit by parents alleging that the hospital's negligence led to their son's injuries at birth, finding that the hospital sufficiently showed that two of the three contested files are privileged.
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July 21, 2025
States Say Noncitizen Benefit Restrictions Are Creating Chaos
A coalition of 20 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration on Monday for "upending" noncitizens' access to publicly funded programs like Head Start and food banks.
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July 21, 2025
Trump Admin's Harvard Cuts Vex Judge: 'Staggering To Me'
A Massachusetts federal judge said Monday that the Trump administration has not presented evidence that Harvard has failed to address antisemitism on its campus and expressed bewilderment at the government's legal justifications for cutting $2.2 billion in funding.
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July 21, 2025
Hartford Unit Must Cover Drug Test Co. In False Results Suit
A Hartford unit must cover a drug testing company in a suit over false positive tests, a Virginia federal court ruled, finding that the suit was not related to a prior proposed class action filed during another insurer's coverage period.
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July 18, 2025
Law360 Names 2025's Top Attorneys Under 40
Law360 is pleased to announce the Rising Stars of 2025, our list of more than 150 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age.
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July 18, 2025
Kaiser's $11M Class Meal Break Deal Gets Final OK In Wash.
A Washington state judge gave the final green light on Friday to a nearly $11 million class deal to end claims that Kaiser Permanente shortchanged Evergreen State employees who worked through their meal breaks, while also awarding class counsel $3.6 million in legal fees from the settlement fund.
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July 18, 2025
Investor Sues Biotech Capricor After Product's FDA Denial
Biotechnology company Capricor Therapeutics Inc. faces a proposed investor class action alleging it misrepresented its lead product candidate's approval prospects before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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July 18, 2025
Judge Advised Against State AG Intervention In Sandoz Deal
A special master on Friday advised a Pennsylvania federal court to deny a bid by California and other state attorneys general to intervene in a $275 million settlement resolving generic-drug price-fixing claims against Sandoz, finding they lacked standing to represent the interests of consumers.
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July 18, 2025
Judge Questions Basis For Planned Parenthood Funding Cuts
A Massachusetts federal judge on Friday pressed the government for any plausible rationale, besides retaliation, for a provision in Congress' budget reconciliation that will prevent Planned Parenthood and its affiliates from receiving Medicaid reimbursements if any one of them offers abortion services.
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July 18, 2025
Pillsbury Atty Fights Sanctions In Nurse Wage-Fixing Case
A partner with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP told a Nevada federal court he should not be sanctioned for using a poor choice of words when communicating with the government about the availability of an expert witness during a wage-fixing and wire fraud trial.
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July 17, 2025
21 States Fight ACA Rule They Say Guts Health Coverage
A 21-state coalition led by the attorneys general of California, Massachusetts and New Jersey sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Thursday, challenging a new Trump administration rule they say unlawfully undermines access to healthcare under the Affordable Care Act.
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July 17, 2025
Senators Float 'Patent Thicket' Bill To Limit Generic Litigation
A bill floated in the U.S. Senate would limit the use of so-called patent thickets that are asserted by major pharmaceutical companies in litigation to restrict generic competition.
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July 17, 2025
Insurer, Urology Practices Beat Puerto Rico Antitrust Suit
A Puerto Rico federal judge threw out an antitrust lawsuit accusing insurer Triple-S Salud and two urology firms of colluding to exclude rival practices from the commonwealth's government-run healthcare program, finding that the selection of a defendant practice through a competitive process means there was no anticompetitive harm.
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July 17, 2025
Ex-CEO Agrees To $27.5M Judgment In Medicare Fraud Case
A day before his trial was set to begin, the former CEO and owner of the now-defunct laboratory Premier Medical Inc. agreed to a $27.5 million consent judgment, acknowledging he was likely to be found liable in the suit brought against him by the federal government and three states.
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July 17, 2025
Fla. AG, Sandoz Clash With Other Enforcers Over 'Done' Deal
Sandoz and Florida's attorney general pressed a Connecticut federal judge Wednesday to let them settle out of sweeping price-fixing litigation against generic-drug makers, contending that federal civil procedure rules give no room for objections from other state enforcers worried the Sunshine State deal interferes with their own ability to negotiate settlements.
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July 17, 2025
4th Circ. Orders New Trial After Doc Acquitted In Fraud Case
A Fourth Circuit panel ordered a new trial for a doctor who received a judge's acquittal after a jury found him guilty of alleged healthcare fraud, finding that the jury had sufficient evidence to convict, but the case was "close," and the district court was correct in hedging and allowing another shot at the case.
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July 17, 2025
PE Firm Is Denied FDA Docs For Defense In Deal Challenge
An Illinois federal court on Wednesday denied a request from private equity firm GTCR BC Holdings LLC to force the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to produce more than a decade's worth of medical device approval applications as the firm fights a merger challenge from enforcers.
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July 17, 2025
6th Circ. Says Axed Expert Reports Doom Hip Implant Suit
The Sixth Circuit has sided with a medical device maker in a lawsuit brought by a man who alleged a component of his hip implant was faulty due to a manufacturing defect, saying the lower court correctly excluded his experts for their lack of knowledge about the surgery or the company's manufacturing processes.
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July 16, 2025
8th Circ. Sends Part Of OptumRx Pricing Fight To Arbitration
The Eighth Circuit partially reversed a ruling Wednesday that denied pharmacy benefits manager OptumRx's bid to send a drugstore's proposed class action over generics prescription reimbursements to arbitration, finding that OptumRx waived arbitration as to three claims, but an arbitrator must decide the fate of two recently pleaded claims.
Expert Analysis
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The Fate Of Biden-Era Clinical Study Guidance Under Trump
Draft guidance about the study of sex and gender differences in medical product development issued by the outgoing Biden administration currently faces significant uncertainty and litigation potential due to the Trump administration's executive orders and other actions, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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10 Issues To Watch In Aerospace And Defense Contracting
This year, in addition to evergreen developments driven by national security priorities, disruptive new technologies and competition with rival powers, federal contractors will see significant disruptions driven by the new administration’s efforts to reduce government spending, regulation and the size of the federal workforce, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.
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Dispelling 10 Myths About Health Provider-Based Compliance
Congress appears intent on requiring hospitals to submit provider-based attestations for all off-campus outpatient hospital locations, so now is the time for hospitals to prepare for this change by understanding common misconceptions about provider-based status and proactively correct noncompliance, say attorneys at McDermott.
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A Look At HHS' New Opinion On Patient Assistance Programs
A recent advisory opinion from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General follows a recent trend of blessing patient assistance program arrangements that implicate the Anti-Kickback Statute, as long as they are structured with appropriate safeguards to minimize the risk of fraud and abuse, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
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2 Anti-Kickback Developments Hold Lessons For Biopharma
The U.S. Department of Justice's Anti-Kickback Statute settlement with QOL Medical and a favorable advisory opinion from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provide a study in contrasts, but there are tips for biopharma manufacturers trying to navigate the vast compliance space between them, says Mary Kohler at Kohler Health Law.
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Tips For Pharma-Biotech Overlap Reporting In New HSR Form
While there’s no secret recipe for reporting overlaps to the Federal Trade Commission in the new Hart-Scott-Rodino Act form, there are several layers of considerations for all pharma-biotech companies and counsel to reflect on internally before reporting on any deal, say attorneys at A&O Shearman.
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A Look At Drug Price Negotiation Program's Ongoing Impact
More than two years after the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and the rapid implementation of the drug price negotiation program, attorneys at Ropes & Gray discuss how the IRA has influenced licensing strategies, and how maximum fair prices under the law have economically affected certain drugs.
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Preparing For A Possible End To The Subminimum Wage
The U.S. Department of Labor's proposed rule to end the subminimum wage for employees with disabilities may significantly affect the community-based rehabilitation and training programs that employ these workers, so certified programs should be especially vigilant about compliance during this period of evaluation and scrutiny, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.
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Drug Pricing Policy Trends To Expect In 2025 And Beyond
Though 2025 may bring more of the same in the realm of drug pricing policy, business as usual entails a sustained, high level of legal and policy developments across at least six major areas, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Top 10 Healthcare And Life Sciences Issues To Watch In 2025
Under the new Trump administration, this coming year may benefit some healthcare and life sciences stakeholders, while creating new challenges for others amid an increasingly complex regulatory environment, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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4 Keys To Litigating In An Active Regulatory Environment
For companies facing litigation influenced by government regulatory action — a recent trend that a politically charged atmosphere will exacerbate — there are a few principles that can help to align litigation strategy with broader public positioning in the regulatory and oversight context, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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How Views On Healthcare Price Transparency Are Changing
Regulators' attitudes toward price transparency regulation have shifted over the past several years in ways that may seem contradictory, and research into detailed rate information published by hospitals and health plans has yielded mixed results, says Matthew List at Charles River Associates.
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EEOC Wearable Tech Guidance Highlights Monitoring Scrutiny
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's recent fact sheet on wearable technologies cautions against potential issues with federal anti-discrimination laws and demonstrates growing concern from regulators and legislators about intrusive technologies in the workplace, say attorneys at Littler.