Digital Health & Technology
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April 25, 2024
Wellstar Sent Meta Patient Data Without Consent, Suit Alleges
Wellstar Health System Inc. was hit with a proposed class action in Georgia federal court, with a patient alleging the confidential health information of "millions" was shared with Meta Platform Inc. without consent after Wellstar installed the company's tracking and collection tools on its website and patient portal.
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April 25, 2024
Hospital Operator Must Face Data Privacy Suit In Mass.
A Massachusetts federal judge has ordered a hospital operator to face proposed class action claims that it exposed a patient's personal information to third parties, saying the patient had a reasonable expectation of privacy.
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April 24, 2024
Conn. Healthcare Co. Will Pay $1.5M To End Data Breach Suit
Merritt Healthcare Advisors has pledged a $1.525 million settlement fund for more than 88,000 people whose personal information was exposed in a data breach in 2022, with class counsel at Laukaitis Law LLC and Cole & Van Note in line to receive $508,283, according to a motion for preliminary approval in Connecticut federal court.
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April 23, 2024
Privacy Bill Risks Adding To Growing Health Data Patchwork
Lawmakers behind a new data privacy framework have trumpeted the plan as a bold consumer protection regime with significant benefits for data not already covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Some in the healthcare industry are less enthusiastic, saying the bill would make the privacy landscape more complicated.
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April 23, 2024
Colo. Neural Privacy Law Has Attys Scratching Their Heads
Colorado's governor signed the nation's first law specifically protecting neural data last week, but privacy attorneys say key caveats in the legislation leave them unsure how far the measure really goes.
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April 22, 2024
Ransomware Still On Rise Despite Better Defenses, Firm Says
Companies are becoming more adept at fending off and responding to a steady stream of ransomware attacks, but hackers' ability to continue to profit from these incidents and increased scrutiny by regulators and the plaintiffs' bar will keep pressure on companies to remain vigilant, according to a new BakerHostetler report.
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April 22, 2024
HHS Finalizes Rule Bolstering Abortion Privacy Protections
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Monday issued a finalized version of its new rule that aims to protect the privacy of abortion providers and patients by prohibiting the disclosure of information related to "lawful reproductive health care," according to an announcement made by the agency.
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April 22, 2024
Watchdog Nixes Unfair Treatment Claims In $310M VA IT Deal
The U.S. Government Accountability Office was unconvinced that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affair graded an IT firm's bid for a $310.3 million deal more harshly than a competitor's, saying the rankings reflected differences in the bids.
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April 19, 2024
Edelson Pitches 'Better Way' To Pick Leads In Privacy Suits
Plaintiffs in proposed privacy class actions should be given more say in who's picked as class counsel, in order to crack down on the "anemic settlements" that have resulted from the ineffective "old way of litigating" these matters, law firm Edelson PC argued in vying for lead counsel in a dispute over a data breach at genetics testing provider 23andMe.
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April 19, 2024
AI Health Data Co. Faces Investor Suit Over Accounting Issues
Atlanta-based health data platform company Sharecare and two of its executives face accusations that they failed to disclose certain accounting issues to investors, leading to stock price declines when the issues became public, according to a shareholder suit filed Friday in California federal court.
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April 19, 2024
Northshore Health Worker Drops Genetic Info Privacy Claims
A patient sitter for Northwestern HealthSystem has voluntarily dropped her proposed class suit claiming she and other workers were unlawfully required to give up information about their medical histories during the application process.
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April 18, 2024
Patient Data Breach Suit Should Be Tossed, Colo. Judge Says
A judge has recommended that CommonSpirit Health be allowed to escape a proposed class action in Colorado federal court accusing it of failing to secure healthcare data leading to a breach affecting more than 600,000 patients, saying the complaint fails to "allege an injury-in-fact."
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April 16, 2024
House Panel Takes Aim At Change Healthcare, FTC Over Hack
A House subcommittee exploring ways to boost cybersecurity in the healthcare industry on Tuesday blasted Change Healthcare for failing to take appropriate steps to block a damaging cyberattack that echoed another recent strike on critical infrastructure and the Federal Trade Commission for not stopping the provider from controlling such a large market share.
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April 16, 2024
Healthcare Industry Sees Spate Of New Data Sharing Suits
A $7 million-plus settlement between a federal regulator and a mental healthcare provider accused of improperly sharing patient data highlights the ubiquitous ties between health systems and tech giants like Facebook — and the growing legal and regulatory scrutiny over those relationships.
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April 12, 2024
Zoll Says 'Cookie-Cutter' Hack Claims Don't Show Harm
Zoll Medical Corp. is asking a Boston federal judge to toss a proposed class action brought by medical device customers whose personal information was released during a ransomware attack last year and an earlier data breach in 2019, arguing the consumers weren't actually injured.
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April 11, 2024
FTC Curtails Treatment Provider's Sharing Of Health Data
The Federal Trade Commission took its latest step Thursday to crack down on the mishandling of sensitive health information, announcing a settlement that requires a New York-based alcohol addiction treatment service to obtain affirmative consent before sharing this data with third parties and bars the company from disclosing this information for advertising purposes.
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April 11, 2024
Ernest Health Hit With Suit After Cybercriminal Data Breach
A group of former Ernest Health Inc. patients has hit the Texas-based hospital system with a proposed class action after a notorious group of cybercriminals breached the company's systems, saying that the company should've done more to protect patient data in a Thursday complaint.
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April 10, 2024
Pharmacy Gets Eli Lilly's Mounjaro Suit Tossed
A Florida federal judge has thrown out Eli Lilly & Co.'s suit accusing an online pharmacy of wrongly selling a compounded version of its drug Mounjaro, saying Eli Lilly was "using state law to enforce the terms of" federal law.
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April 09, 2024
Philips, Feds Enter Consent Decree Over Sleep Apnea Devices
Philips Respironics can't make sleep apnea breathing machines until it hires an independent monitor, undergoes inspections and meets its obligations under a plan to remediate patients affected by a 2021 recall of such devices, the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday.
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April 09, 2024
Predatory Medicare Marketing Faces Regulator Pushback
Consumers weighing Medicare plan options should have greater protections from predatory marketing and sales tactics, thanks to a new rule by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that was finalized April 4.
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April 08, 2024
Doctors Say MSU Vax Mandate Suit Needs High Court Review
Three doctors urged the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a case challenging Michigan State University's vaccine mandate after the Sixth Circuit backed the suit's dismissal, arguing that the circuit court should have applied a stricter standard when considering whether the government could interfere with patients' medical decisions.
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April 04, 2024
5th Circ. Scrutinizes Data-Tracking On La. Health Provider Site
A Fifth Circuit panel questioned Louisiana health care providers Thursday on the use of "tracking pixels" on their website, asking counsel for the providers whether a third party like Facebook could access patient records without patient permission.
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April 04, 2024
Microsoft Unit Gets Fed. Circ. Alice Win On Imaging Patents
The Federal Circuit on Thursday gave a win to a software company acquired by Microsoft for nearly $20 billion, affirming a decision that claims in four medical imaging patents it was accused of infringing are invalid for claiming only an abstract idea.
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April 04, 2024
Ga. OB-GYN Office Hit With Data Breach Class Action
An Atlanta OB-GYN practice has been hit with a class action in Georgia federal court over a January data breach that allegedly impacted the personal and protected health information of tens of thousands of patients.
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April 03, 2024
Microsoft Notches Fed. Circ. Win In 3D Imaging Patent Fight
The Federal Circuit on Wednesday backed a ruling from an administrative tribunal that wiped out most of a patent issued to a Florida radiologist and his ex-Lockheed Martin business partner, whose company is suing Microsoft over its line of HoloLens AR headsets.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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FTC's Health Privacy Actions Offer 5 Advertising Takeaways
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.