Policy & Compliance
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February 12, 2025
RI Judge Won't Pause Order To Unfreeze Funds Amid Appeal
A Rhode Island federal judge refused Wednesday to pause a court order blocking a freeze on funding for federal grants and programs while the Trump administration appeals the ruling to the First Circuit.
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February 12, 2025
Tribal Healthcare In Danger Due To Hiring Freeze, Letter Says
The top Democratic ranking members for subcommittees that oversee federal funding for the Indian Health Service are demanding the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services intervene to stop cuts to the agency's workforce, saying without it Indigenous communities' access to needed services is in jeopardy.
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February 12, 2025
House GOP Eyes Medicaid Cuts, Work Requirements
House Republicans set their sights on potential cuts and changes to Medicaid on Wednesday, arguing Congress and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency should target improper payments, institute work requirements and repeal a Biden-era rule that made enrolling in the federal healthcare program easier.
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February 12, 2025
Tobacco Fee Couldn't Have Injured Worker, Campbell's Says
The Campbell's Co. urged a New Jersey federal court to toss a suit from a former worker alleging the company's tobacco-free wellness program is violating federal benefits law by making workers who use tobacco pay more for health insurance, arguing the ex-employee can't bring his claims because he never enrolled in the program.
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February 12, 2025
States Can't Halt Funding Ban On Trans Care, DOJ Tells Court
Washington, Minnesota and Oregon can't block a White House executive order that cuts off federal funding for gender-affirming care for minors, President Donald Trump's administration told a Washington federal judge, arguing that the states' suit is premature and that the president has acted within his powers.
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February 11, 2025
Novo Nordisk Mostly Escapes Insulin Pen Contamination Suit
Novo Nordisk has, for now, beaten much of a Connecticut-based hospital's federal lawsuit seeking to hold it financially responsible for the $1 million settlement the hospital paid to patients potentially exposed to blood-borne infections after the medical staff used the pharma company's product.
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February 11, 2025
Colo. Justices Mull Statute's Silence In Med Mal Cap Debate
The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday pressed a doctor on why it should cap a patient's prefiling interest in a medical malpractice case when lawmakers didn't clearly state whether an exception to a damages cap applies.
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February 11, 2025
Federal Healthcare Attys Look For Exits Amid Trump Upheaval
Amid President Donald Trump's aggressive moves to slash the federal workforce, government healthcare attorneys are job hunting in the private sector en masse as they look to get ahead of potential layoffs and beat the crowd out the door.
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February 11, 2025
Split 3rd Circ. Keeps Merck Vaccine Antitrust Panel Immunity
The full Third Circuit refused to reconsider a ruling that immunized Merck & Co. from antitrust claims over submissions it made to federal regulators for its mumps vaccine, over the objection of a trio of appellate judges.
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February 11, 2025
Former HHS Drug Pricing Atty Returns To Covington
Covington & Burling LLP said Tuesday a former associate who most recently served at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services working on drug pricing negotiation programs will return as a partner to the firm's healthcare and life sciences practice groups in Washington, D.C.
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February 11, 2025
Trump's Anti-DEI Push Poses New FCA Risks For Healthcare
President Donald Trump's order restricting diversity, equity and inclusion programs threatens to ratchet up the False Claims Act risk facing the healthcare industry. Hospitals and research groups have questions about who's covered and what is or isn't permissible under Trump's anti-DEI push.
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February 11, 2025
Insurer Says $641M Deal Over Tainted Flint Water Not Covered
An insurer told a Michigan federal court Tuesday that it shouldn't have to pay any part of a $641 million settlement reached by a Flint, Michigan, medical center on behalf of patients who supposedly suffered from legionella and lead exposure because of unclean drinking water in the facility.
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February 11, 2025
Abortion Bans, State Shield Laws Tee Up Extradition Conflict
The decision by Louisiana officials to bring a criminal case against a New York doctor for providing abortion medications online has set the stage for a new battle over states' duties to hand over defendants accused of fleeing justice in another state.
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February 11, 2025
A 'Disaster For Science': Universities Sue Over NIH Grant Cap
Research universities and higher education organizations on Tuesday requested an order from a Massachusetts federal court to halt the Trump administration from capping indirect costs for grants from the National Institutes of Health, one day after a separate Bay State federal judge paused the change from taking effect in a case brought by a group of state attorneys general.
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February 11, 2025
Chiropractors As Expert Medical Witnesses: 3 Cases To Know
A recent Michigan appellate decision builds on a growing volume of case law addressing when chiropractors can weigh in as medical experts in court. Law360 looks at that decision and others that have shaped the standard for expert testimony from chiropractors.
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February 11, 2025
CVS, Aetna Escape Testing Lab's $20.6M Unpaid Invoices Suit
A Connecticut federal judge threw out a testing laboratory's lawsuit seeking $20.6 million in unpaid invoices from Aetna Inc. and its owner CVS Health Corp., saying the complaint lacked detail and left the companies "guessing" which allegations corresponded to which claims.
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February 11, 2025
DC Judge Orders Restoration Of Public Health Webpages
A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday ordered federal agencies to revive public health webpages and datasets taken offline as part of the Trump administration's effort to root out references to "gender ideology."
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February 10, 2025
DC Judge Questions Abrupt Removal Of Public Health Info
A D.C. federal judge said he was wrestling with some "circular" arguments offered by the government on Monday as he weighed whether to order the restoration of public health web pages and datasets that had been taken down by the Trump administration.
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February 10, 2025
UnitedHealth Says Fed Suit Imperils Deal's Many Benefits
UnitedHealth Group and home health and hospice giant Amedisys Inc. responded to the U.S. Department of Justice's merger challenge Friday by telling a Maryland federal judge that the government is taking quotes out of context, focusing on "artificially narrow geographic markets" and misjudging market realities.
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February 10, 2025
Harvard Immunity For Body Part Thefts 'Gnaws' At Justice
A judge on Massachusetts' highest court said Monday it's "problematic" that a state law could shield Harvard Medical School from liability in a suit by family members of people whose remains were allegedly sold off in parts by a rogue mortician.
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February 10, 2025
UnitedHealthcare Fined $3.4M In NC Over Billing Shortfalls
UnitedHealthcare of North Carolina Inc. and its insurance affiliate got fined $3.4 million by the Tar Heel State's insurance regulator for failing to follow its own policies for negotiating with out-of-network providers to keep extra costs off of its policyholders.
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February 10, 2025
Mass. Judge Temporarily Blocks NIH Funding Cuts
A Massachusetts federal judge issued a temporary hold Monday on a Trump administration plan to slash grant funding provided by the National Institutes of Health after 22 states sued to block the cuts.
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February 10, 2025
Trump Admin Violating Order To Unfreeze Funds, Judge Says
A Rhode Island federal judge ruled Monday the Trump administration is not complying with the court's temporary restraining order barring a freeze on funding for federal grants and programs, ordering the administration to immediately restore the frozen funds.
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February 07, 2025
70 Depo-Provera Suits Joined In Florida's Northern District
The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation on Friday consolidated more than 70 consumer lawsuits claiming that Pfizer Inc. failed to adequately warn patients and doctors about the risk of brain tumors associated with the hormonal contraceptive drug Depo-Provera in the Northern District of Florida.
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February 07, 2025
CFPB's Medical Debt Rule Halted For 90 Days By Texas Judge
A Texas federal judge has issued a 90-day halt on an approaching effective day for a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule banning medical debt from credit reports, a day after the agency's new leadership said it needed time to consider the rule trade groups have sued to end.
Expert Analysis
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A Primer On New Calif. Health Transaction Reporting Rules
New California regulations regarding the reporting of certain transactions involving healthcare entities, which took effect on Jan. 1, address some industry feedback about overly broad requirements but still leave several areas of concern, says Andrew Demetriou at Husch Blackwell.
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In The CFPB Playbook: Rulemaking Rush Before Election Year
In this quarterly Consumer Financial Protection Bureau activity recap by former bureau personnel, attorneys at McGuireWoods explain the regulator's recent push to finalize new rules about data aggregators, digital payment apps and more before the election-year Congressional Review Act window opens.
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What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like
As the legal landscape shifts, it’s become increasingly clear that the BigLaw business model must adapt in four key ways to remain viable, from fostering workplace flexibility to embracing technology, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
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4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News
Media coverage of new lawsuits exploded last year, demonstrating why defense attorneys should devise a public relations plan that complements their legal strategy, incorporating several objectives to balance ethical obligations and advocacy, say Nathan Burchfiel at Pinkston and Ryan June at Castañeda + Heidelman.
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Digging Into The Debate On FDA's Proposed Lab Test Rule
A proposed 10-word amendment from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration represents a sea change in device regulation as it would summarily end decades of FDA enforcement discretion for laboratory developed tests, and the public comments offer some insight into the future of this long-running saga, say attorneys at Mintz.
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Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends
Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.
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AI In Health Law: The Top Guest Articles Of 2023
As the use of artificial intelligence accelerated this year, Expert Analysis writers examined AI's significant impact on the healthcare sector, ranging from key compliance considerations for companies utilizing AI tools to regulators' efforts to keep up with rapidly evolving technologies.
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The Most-Read Legal Industry Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023
A range of legal industry topics drew readers' attention in Law360's Expert Analysis section this year, from associate retention strategies to ethical billing practices.
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Inside Higher Education's New FCA Liability Challenges
As the educational sector expands its use of government funding, schools are at increased risk under the False Claims Act, but recent settlements offer valuable lessons about new theories of liability they may face and specific procedures to reduce their exposure, say James Zelenay and Jeremy Ochsenbein at Gibson Dunn.
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AI Executive Order's Life Science, Healthcare Industry Effects
The recent White House executive order to manage risks associated with artificial intelligence includes provisions specific to healthcare and life sciences that merit special attention, including transparency, human oversight of AI output, and real world performance monitoring, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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HHS Advisory Highlights Free Product Inducement Risks
A recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services advisory opinion highlights concerns that valuable free products and other inducements may influence patients and providers to choose one manufacturer’s product over another, notwithstanding that such free healthcare products may be a benefit, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities
Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.
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In The World Of Legal Ethics, 10 Trends To Note From 2023
Lucian Pera at Adams and Reese and Trisha Rich at Holland & Knight identify the top legal ethics trends from 2023 — including issues related to hot documents, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — that lawyers should be aware of to put their best foot forward.