Digital Health & Technology
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January 07, 2025
HIPAA Cyber Rule Shake-Up Arrives On Eve Of Trump's Return
A massive cybersecurity rule change proposed this week would require healthcare providers and insurers to protect patient data with multifactor authentication and other safeguards. Attorneys are watching to see if the Trump administration changes course.
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January 06, 2025
Labcorp Loses Appeal Of Gene-Testing Patent In $372M Case
Labcorp, one of the world's largest chains of clinical lab providers, lost its appeal over a patent tied to a $372 million judgment it is facing in the Western District of Texas, after Federal Circuit judges on Monday upheld an administrative patent board ruling against it two years ago.
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December 20, 2024
Medical Records Co. Wants Rival's Antitrust Suit Tossed
Epic Systems Corp. told a New York federal court that an antitrust case lodged by Particle Health Inc. is really just payback for revealing concerns that Particle allowed its customers to inappropriately access personal medical records.
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December 20, 2024
Top Privacy & Cybersecurity Developments Of 2024
The state data privacy law patchwork continued to add new and varied pieces in 2024, while major hacks shook up the healthcare industry and other critical sectors, and the first U.S. laws setting guardrails for the use of artificial intelligence technologies emerged.
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December 19, 2024
Google Health Tracking Plaintiffs Fight To Keep Suit Alive
A California federal judge who was asked by Google to toss a proposed class action alleging that the tech giant illicitly scoops up users' personal data from healthcare providers' websites indicated during a Thursday hearing that he might grant the request while adding that he still has "a lot more thinking to do."
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December 17, 2024
UNC Doctor Can't Shield Minor Transgender Patients' Records
A University of North Carolina doctor cannot assert privilege over medical records sought from the university by state Republicans fighting a suit by the physician and others seeking to enjoin a law imposing limits on transgender care for minors, a federal magistrate judge has ruled.
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December 17, 2024
Stanford Profs Say Roche's Trade Secret Claims Time-Barred
Stanford University's trustees and three of its professors have asked a California federal court to dismiss trade secret theft claims bought by subsidiaries of F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, arguing that the allegations are time-barred because the companies were on notice of the purported misappropriation for over three years before filing suit.
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December 17, 2024
New Fed Health Data Rules: What You Need To Know
The Biden administration this week established long-awaited regulations codifying how medical providers and vendors must share electronic health information. New provisions were included to thwart criminal investigations into reproductive healthcare.
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December 17, 2024
FDA Sharpens Focus On Celebrity Drug Endorsements
Ads featuring celebrities such as tennis star Serena Williams and interior designer Nate Berkus surfaced in FDA enforcement letters this year. The agency has ramped up its scrutiny of influencer drug promotion.
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December 11, 2024
Ga. Judge Refuses To Reconsider Toss Of Patient Data Suit
A Georgia federal judge has refused to reconsider the dismissal of a proposed class action alleging Piedmont Healthcare Inc. unlawfully shared patients' health data with Facebook via the company's tracking pixel tool.
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December 10, 2024
UpHealth Says Glocal Execs Stalling On $115M Award Suit
Digital health services company UpHealth has asked an Illinois federal judge to favor its efforts to pin down assets belonging to executives of Indian healthcare firm Glocal as it looks to enforce a $115 million arbitral award, saying the respondents are engaging in "obstructionist" conduct.
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December 06, 2024
Google Must Face Trimmed BIPA Suit Over IBM Dataset
A California federal judge on Thursday permitted Illinois residents to proceed with a pared-down version of their proposed class action accusing Google of violating biometric privacy laws with facial data collected by IBM, ruling they've adequately alleged a violation of the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act.
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December 06, 2024
NC Hospital Gets Initial OK For $1.1M Data Breach Deal
A North Carolina Business Court judge has given his initial seal of approval to a $1.1 million settlement agreement in a data breach class action against Columbus Regional Healthcare System.
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December 06, 2024
Colo. Children's Hospital Fined $548K For Phishing Attacks
Children's Hospital Colorado was hit with a more than $548,000 fine over phishing and cyberattacks that violated patient privacy rules, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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December 05, 2024
Pain Management Clinic Fined $1.19 Million for HIPAA Breach
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has fined a Florida pain management clinic $1.19 million for alleged HIPAA violations involving a former contractor that impermissibly accessed the clinic's electronic record system.
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December 05, 2024
IQVIA Gets Final OK For $3.5M Deal In Ex-Workers' 401(k) Suit
A North Carolina federal judge on Thursday gave his final seal of approval to a $3.5 million settlement for a class of 9,000 employees who accused healthcare technology company IQVIA of mismanaging its $1.13 billion 401(k) plan.
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December 04, 2024
Colo. Judge Tosses Data Breach Suit Against Hospital Chain
A Colorado federal judge has dismissed a proposed data breach class action against hospital operator CommonSpirit Health, accepting a recommendation that found the lead plaintiff failed to allege any real injuries and therefore had no standing.
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November 27, 2024
Deloitte Posed As Consultant To Steal Vax Software, Suit Says
An inventor has accused Deloitte Consulting LLP in New York federal court of stealing her proprietary vaccination management system and securing a multimillion-dollar government contract for rolling out COVID-19 vaccines, saying the firm colluded with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to pilfer the technology.
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November 27, 2024
X Corp Says Gov't Trying To 'Muzzle' Doc In Bitter HIPAA Case
X Corp has told a Texas federal judge that government prosecutors were trying to "muzzle" a doctor accused of sharing protected patient information while talking to the press about a hospital's gender-affirming care practices, saying the government was out of line.
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November 26, 2024
Truepill's $7.5M Patent Data Theft Settlement Gets Initial OK
A California federal judge Tuesday preliminarily backed a $7.5 million deal resolving a proposed class action alleging that online pharmacy PostMeds Inc., which does business as Truepill, failed to protect the sensitive information of millions of patients from a data breach.
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November 19, 2024
Judge Rejects Infosys' Bid To Seal NDAs In Trade Secrets Row
A Texas federal judge shot down Indian tech company Infosys Ltd.'s efforts to seal nondisclosure agreements involved in a trade secrets case over healthcare software, ruling that there was "nothing commercially sensitive" about them.
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November 19, 2024
Congress' Dash For Telehealth Extensions: 4 Things To Know
With Republicans set to take control of Congress and the White House, lame-duck lawmakers on Capitol Hill are in a mad dash to pass legislation ahead of the new year. Many are turning an eye toward making permanent the telehealth extensions that became available during the pandemic.
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November 18, 2024
'Sub-Par' Work By Data Breach Class Attys Earns Lower Fee
A Connecticut federal judge awarded $340,000 on Monday to class counsel in a data breach lawsuit against Merritt Healthcare Advisors but criticized their request for $381,250 as out of line with reasonable rates and said some of their work in the case was "sub-par."
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November 18, 2024
Healthcare Atty Leaves GC Role To Lead Legal At GeneDx
Connecticut-based genetic testing company GeneDx announced Monday that an experienced in-house healthcare attorney who most recently worked as general counsel at Zoetis was named its chief legal officer and corporate secretary.
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November 15, 2024
Orrick Trial Partner Joins Morgan Lewis In Boston
Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP announced that an experienced litigator from Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP joined the firm's Boston office as a partner, enhancing its capacity in areas such as life sciences and regulatory compliance.
Expert Analysis
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Mitigating Risks Of Developing Drugs And Devices With AI
As the use of artificial intelligence in drug and medical device development advances, companies should implement five key steps to identify and mitigate areas of potential risk before regulatory frameworks catch up, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
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Scope Of FTC's Health Info Enforcement May Expand
The Federal Trade Commission's proposed amendments to the Health Breach Notification Rule signal the agency's mounting efforts to regulate consumer health information beyond the reaches of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, which does not cover many recent health apps and technologies, say Jodi Daniel and Brandon Ge at Crowell & Moring.
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How Attys Can Avoid Exposing Their Firms To Cyberattacks
Attorneys are the weakest link in their firms' cyberdefenses because hackers often exploit the gap between individuals’ work and personal cybersecurity habits, but there are some steps lawyers can take to reduce the risks they create for their employers, say Mark Hurley and Carmine Cicalese at Digital Privacy & Protection.
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Rare FDA Move Shows Stance On Remote Monitoring Devices
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent warning letter to iRhythm Technologies represents a relatively unprecedented degree of scrutiny to the remote monitoring device industry, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
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Tips For In-House Legal Leaders In A Challenging Economy
Amid today's economic and geopolitical uncertainty, in-house legal teams are running lean and facing increased scrutiny and unique issues, but can step up and find innovative ways to manage outcomes and capitalize on good business opportunities, says Tim Parilla at LinkSquares.
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Health Providers Must Beware FCA Risks When Using AI
Though recent innovations in artificial intelligence can potentially bring increased productivity, greater efficiency and reduced costs to the healthcare industry, providers must take appropriate precautions to avoid risks and potential False Claims Act liability, says Sara Lord at Arnall Golden.
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New Considerations In Med Device Cybersecurity Compliance
Recent guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration clarifies premarket submission procedures related to medical device cybersecurity, and indicates a significant expansion in the agency's expectations surrounding risk management practices for both manufacturers and providers, says Meghna Parikh at Buchalter.
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Federal Oversight Of AI In Healthcare Is Taking Shape
A recent proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides early insights into how the federal government intends to oversee artificial intelligence and machine learning in healthcare, highlighting priorities like transparency, equity and potential kickback implications, say attorneys at Hooper Lundy.
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A Close Look At Pennsylvania's Data Breach Law Changes
New amendments to Pennsylvania's Breach of Personal Information Notification Act will hold state agencies to stricter notification requirements more in line with those in other states, and will allow entities to determine a breach has occurred before their notification obligations take effect, says Lauren Godfrey at Constangy.
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Abortion Pill Rulings Will Hinder FDA Authority
Although the Fifth Circuit recently stayed a Texas federal court's ruling that invalidated the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of a commonly used abortion medication, several points made by the courts are worth considering for their potentially chilling effect on FDA authority and the challenges they may create for the life sciences industry, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Key Guidelines For Conducting Clinical Trials Overseas
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Conducting clinical trials outside the U.S. offers many benefits to researchers, but these benefits come with countervailing ethical and legal challenges that must be carefully addressed, say attorneys at Bass Berry.
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Recent Growth Factors Driving Life Sciences Transactions
In view of challenges posed by last year's economic downturn, life sciences companies have increasingly turned to collaboration and licensing arrangements, with a focus on deal activity in artificial intelligence, digital health and gene therapy, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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How Cannabis Cos. Can Keep Up With Privacy Compliance
With the cannabis industry's rapid growth and access to sensitive consumer information, and the ever-changing patchwork of state data privacy laws, it is becoming increasingly important for marijuana businesses to treat cybersecurity as a significant risk and management priority, say attorneys at Goodwin.