Digital Health & Technology

  • February 02, 2024

    ACLU Atty On How To Protect Civil Liberties In The AI Era

    Because artificial intelligence and algorithmic systems often operate in the shadows, there's a new need for legislation, regulation and enforcement to ensure the technology doesn't undercut civil liberties by engaging in discrimination in housing, education or employment, according to Cody Venzke, senior policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union.

  • February 02, 2024

    Ascension Says Medical Queries Don't Breach Genetic Privacy

    Questions about family medical history raised during a hospital job interview don't implicate an Illinois genetic privacy law, healthcare giant Ascension Health has told a Missouri federal court.

  • February 02, 2024

    Groups Urge Probe Into Deloitte's Medicaid Eligibility System

    A group of public interest organizations is accusing Deloitte of developing a problematic Medicaid eligibility system that's left beneficiaries in Texas without healthcare coverage, and has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate. 

  • February 01, 2024

    DOJ Looking For Privacy Perils In Digital Healthcare

    Threats to data privacy and fraud in telemedicine are among federal regulators' top concerns in evaluations of digital healthcare as innovation invites new challenges to protecting patient data and preventing fraud, a U.S. Department of Justice official said Thursday.

  • February 01, 2024

    Device-Maker Attys Talk FDA Nondevice Rule At Conference

    Over a year after the FDA issued its Clinical Decision Support Software guidance for nonmedical devices that describes the agency's approach to medical device software functions, attorneys working in the medical device regulation space are still grappling with the guidance and learning how the FDA is enforcing the regulation.

  • February 01, 2024

    FTC Puts Cap On Blackbaud's Data Retention In Breach Deal

    Blackbaud Inc. has agreed to delete personal data that it doesn't need anymore and boost its data security to resolve the Federal Trade Commission's claims over a 2020 ransomware attack that affected millions of consumers, the commission announced Thursday, marking the latest regulatory action the software provider has settled over the data breach. 

  • February 01, 2024

    Drug Cos. Not Ready for 'Deep End' of Remote Trials

    Enthusiasm among drug companies and federal officials about increasing diversity among clinical subjects through "decentralized" trials is being tempered by unknowns about the regulatory landscape, a group of experts said Thursday.

  • February 01, 2024

    HHS OKs Telehealth, At-Home Flexibility For Opioid Treatment

    Federal authorities plan to permanently extend pandemic-era rules that allow patients in opioid treatment programs to take methadone at home and obtain prescriptions for buprenorphine during telehealth visits, as part of an effort to combat opioid addiction.

  • January 31, 2024

    FDA Has More Cyber Guidance Planned For Device Makers

    A U.S. Food and Drug Administration official said Wednesday that further guidance is likely in store in 2024 as the agency marks its first year with the new authority to require device makers to submit cybersecurity compliance plans with applications to bring new healthcare devices to market.

  • January 31, 2024

    FDA May Have To Cut Activities As Need to Regulate AI Grows

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration may have to pare back functions if Congress doesn't grant it the budget increase it has requested while the agency tries to keep up with rapid developments in the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare.

  • January 31, 2024

    FDA, Health Experts Talk Int'l 'Harmonization' of AI Regulation

    Cross-border compatibility of rules for artificial intelligence-powered medical devices is critical for device makers looking to globalize their products in an evolving regulatory landscape, legal and governmental experts said Wednesday.

  • January 31, 2024

    Northwell Health Sued Over Breach Of 3M Patients' Data

    Northwell Health Inc., New York state's largest health care system, breached its duty to protect sensitive information by failing to keep safe the data of over 3 million individuals in a breach, according to a proposed class action filed Tuesday.

  • January 31, 2024

    Teladoc Illegally Sends Users' Personal Info To Meta, Suit Says

    Teladoc users have filed a putative class action in New York federal court accusing the virtual healthcare giant of privacy invasion for allegedly using a tracking pixel on its website to secretly wiretap their communications and activities, then subsequently sharing their personal information with Facebook without their permission.

  • January 31, 2024

    Lab Says $7M Stolen Data Is Property And Should Be Covered

    A national medical testing lab told a Pennsylvania federal court that patient treatment records and at least $7 million of billing data allegedly hijacked by its software contractor was property and should therefore be covered by its insurer. 

  • January 31, 2024

    Fla. Man Avoids Jail In Telemedicine Fraud Suit

    A Florida resident did not receive prison time during a federal court hearing Wednesday and instead was sentenced to a period of supervised release for his role in a company that prosecutors say was built to scam insurers into paying millions of dollars for prescriptions that patients didn't need.

  • January 30, 2024

    CareFirst Judge Mulls Class OK In Trimmed Data Breach Row

    A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday appeared open to the possibility of certifying a class of CareFirst policyholders that would seek only nominal damages against the health insurer for a 2014 data breach that exposed personal information belonging to roughly 1.1 million customers.  

  • January 30, 2024

    NC Hospital Says It Didn't Share Patient Data With Meta

    A North Carolina hospital system scoffed at allegations that it shared patient information with Facebook without consent for years in response to a proposed negligence class action brought by three patients and after a state business court allowed the action to move forward.

  • January 30, 2024

    Stryker Can't Slip California Workers' Wage Suit

    Medical device company Stryker cannot escape former workers' wage claims, a California federal judge ruled Tuesday, saying it was unclear whether the company was the workers' employer because it still retained some authority over workers employed by the company's subsidiaries.

  • January 29, 2024

    Reps Want More From VA On AI Transparency, Enforcement

    Members of the House of Representatives on Monday grilled officials from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on how they plan to protect veterans' privacy and ensure transparency in the development and deployment of artificial intelligence models.

  • January 29, 2024

    Meta Must Keep Battling Trimmed Health Tracking Privacy Suit

    A California federal judge on Monday refused to throw out a trimmed version of a lawsuit claiming that Meta Platforms Inc. illegally collected patients' health information using a Facebook data tracking tool, ruling that their latest complaint has addressed some of his prior concerns.

  • January 29, 2024

    Texas AG Seeks Transgender Patients' Data, Ga. Clinic Says

    Georgia-based telehealth clinic QueerMed said Monday that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is asking for medical records for patients seeking gender-affirming care, saying the request appears intentional to deter out-of-state clinics from providing such care.

  • January 29, 2024

    FDA Seeks Input On Reporting Race, Ethnicity In Drug Trials

    The Food and Drug Administration asked the healthcare industry Monday for comment on updated guidance that outlines the agency's expectations for collecting race and ethnicity data in drug and medical device research.

  • January 29, 2024

    Imperative Care Names O'Melveny Deals Partner As CLO

    Silicon Valley's Imperative Care announced Monday that an O'Melveny deals partner will take over as chief legal officer, joining a revamped leadership team at the medical tech company.

  • January 26, 2024

    23andMe Users Say Hackers Targeted Jewish, Chinese Data

    Hackers who pushed their way past 23andMe's security systems in a data breach last year were after the personal information of Jewish and Chinese customers, but the biotechnology company hid that detail when notifying 7 million affected customers, according to a proposed class action filed Friday in California federal court.

  • January 26, 2024

    Bills Aim To Halt Cash To Chinese Cos. Over Genetic Data

    Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have introduced legislation to block Chinese biotech companies from receiving federal funding if they have ties to the Chinese Communist Party, saying the goal is to prevent such companies and the party from stealing America's genetic data.

Expert Analysis

  • Rare FDA Move Shows Stance On Remote Monitoring Devices

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    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.

  • Tips For In-House Legal Leaders In A Challenging Economy

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    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.

  • Health Providers Must Beware FCA Risks When Using AI

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    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.

  • New Considerations In Med Device Cybersecurity Compliance

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    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.

  • Federal Oversight Of AI In Healthcare Is Taking Shape

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    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.

  • A Close Look At Pennsylvania's Data Breach Law Changes

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    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.

  • Abortion Pill Rulings Will Hinder FDA Authority

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    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.

  • Key Guidelines For Conducting Clinical Trials Overseas

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    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.

  • Recent Growth Factors Driving Life Sciences Transactions

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    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.

  • How Cannabis Cos. Can Keep Up With Privacy Compliance

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    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.

  • FTC's Health Privacy Actions Offer 5 Advertising Takeaways

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent enforcement actions against GoodRx and BetterHelp highlight the need for any company engaging in common online advertising practices to pay close attention to the personal information they collect and share with third parties, say Kate Black and Sam Castic at Hintze Law.

  • States Shouldn't Fear HIPAA When Improving Gov't Services

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    As the looming end of the COVID-19 public health emergency motivates states to streamline their processes for individuals seeking public benefits, they should generally not have to worry about violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act when sharing data across government services, says Jodi Daniel at Crowell & Moring.

  • 5 Data Privacy Practices Cos. Should Implement Now

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    Businesses that are not subject to a comprehensive data privacy law should nevertheless consider implementing privacy practices that are consistent with current norms to help mitigate both common law exposure and an expensive rush to compliance if a federal law is passed, say John Rolecki and Alexander Thibodeau at Varnum.