Policy & Compliance
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January 24, 2025
Dentons Adds 2 Healthcare Attys From Katten In NY
Dentons announced that it has added two attorneys with extensive experience in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, regulatory compliance and False Claims Act defense as New York-based partners in its healthcare practice.
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January 23, 2025
Marlboro Smoker Was Target Of Deception, Jury Hears
Philip Morris targeted a Massachusetts preteen as a "replacement" customer for others who were dying of lung disease, a Springfield jury heard Thursday, though the company's lawyer said the woman had free will and knew enough to stop smoking.
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January 23, 2025
4th Circ. Reads Kickback Law Broadly In Loss For Big Pharma
The Fourth Circuit on Thursday affirmed a Virginia federal judge's ruling against a pharmaceuticals industry-backed charity looking to weaken the Anti-Kickback Statute, holding that a proposed program for helping patients cover the cost of drugs could indeed constitute a quid pro quo.
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January 23, 2025
Georgia Pain Doctor To Pay Feds $3.5M In FCA Settlement
A Georgia doctor and his pain management clinic have agreed to pay $3.5 million to end a yearslong civil probe into False Claims Act allegations of billing fraud and violations of opioid prescription protocols, the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday.
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January 23, 2025
Conn. Lawmakers Target Healthcare After Hospital's Ch. 11
In the lead-up to and aftermath of California hospital operator Prospect Medical Holdings Inc.'s $1 billion bankruptcy, Connecticut lawmakers are considering new regulatory powers, promising and penning oversight bills for hospitals owned by private equity firms and real estate trusts while seeking to stabilize the state's healthcare markets.
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January 23, 2025
UnitedHealthcare Settles Proton Beam Coverage Suit
UnitedHealthcare has agreed to resolve a proposed class action claiming it unlawfully denied coverage of a proton beam cancer treatment after wrongly labeling it as experimental, the insurance company and plan participants told a Massachusetts federal court.
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January 23, 2025
15 States Reach $7.4B Settlement With Sackler Family
A bipartisan coalition of states on Thursday announced a $7.4 billion settlement in principle with the Sackler family and their company Purdue Pharma Inc., representing the largest settlement to date with the family accused of contributing significantly to the opioid epidemic.
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January 22, 2025
RFK Filings Show Biopharma Stakes, Millions In Firm Income
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to sell off his stakes in two biopharmaceutical companies and step back from lucrative roles at a handful of law firms if he is confirmed to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, according to new financial disclosures.
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January 22, 2025
Med Mal Experts Need Only 1 Specialty, NJ Justices Rule
When a doctor accused of malpractice has more than one specialty, the plaintiff needs only to produce an affidavit of merit from a physician who is certified in one of the specialties, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Wednesday, overturning a state appellate court ruling.
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January 22, 2025
Wash. City Beats Fired Workers' Suit Targeting Vax Mandate
A Washington federal judge tossed a suit brought by city workers claiming they were illegally fired for opposing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, ruling that the city they worked for didn't violate any of their rights by requiring them to get immunized or lose their jobs.
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January 22, 2025
Feds Trim Spine-Implant Kickback Case Ahead Of Trial
A Massachusetts federal judge has granted a motion by prosecutors to drop bribery charges against a maker of spinal implant devices and whittle down the case against two of its former executives.
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January 22, 2025
Logistics Cos. Say Workers' Tobacco Fee Suit Filed Too Late
A pair of logistics companies are asking a Connecticut federal court to throw out a proposed class action alleging they violated federal law by not fully reimbursing employees who paid an additional tobacco-use fee on their healthcare, saying all the claims in the suit are barred by statutes of limitation.
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January 21, 2025
The Legal And Practical Questions Around Trump's WHO Exit
President Donald Trump’s first-day order setting in motion the United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organization could leave the nation less prepared for global health threats and trigger legal clashes over the president’s authority to act unilaterally.
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January 21, 2025
4th Circ. Won't Undo Doctor's Conviction For Reusing Devices
A former North Carolina ear, nose and throat doctor staring down 25 years in prison for healthcare fraud lost an appeal Tuesday seeking to overturn her conviction, with the Fourth Circuit finding that the lower court did not commit any reversible error that would favor a shot at redemption.
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January 21, 2025
What To Know About Trump's Medicare Drug Price Order
In his first day in office, President Donald Trump rescinded a Biden directive for health officials to create new drug-pricing models for Medicare and Medicaid recipients. Here's what you need to know about the status of the pricing plans and what comes next.
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January 21, 2025
Minn. Agency Beats Worker's COVID Testing Policy Suit
A Minnesota state agency defeated a Catholic employee's lawsuit claiming it unlawfully refused to grant him a religious exemption from its COVID-19 vaccination and testing policies, with a federal judge ruling Tuesday that the worker had failed to show the agency knew about his religious objections.
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January 21, 2025
Outgoing HHS Official On The Thorny Issues Of Child Welfare
In an interview with Law360 Healthcare Authority, the now-former head of HHS' Administration on Children, Youth, and Families stresses the importance of preventive services and weighs in on the promise and perils of mandated reporting laws.
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January 21, 2025
DACA Health Coverage, Gilead IP Deal And PBM Insulin Case
Several state attorneys general are looking to defend immigrants' Affordable Care Act coverage, while a group of pharmacy benefit managers failed to oust the FTC's Democratic members from a case alleging collusion to inflate insulin prices. Law360 Healthcare Authority looks at the cases and decisions that shaped the industry over the last week.
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January 21, 2025
With Circuits Split, Mass. Judge Backs Tough Fraud Standard
An influential judge with a history of shaping False Claims Act litigation weighed in decisively on a debate that has split circuit judges and may eventually reach the Supreme Court. Attorneys across the country are evaluating the impact.
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January 17, 2025
Law360 Names Practice Groups Of The Year
Law360 would like to congratulate the winners of its Practice Groups of the Year awards for 2024, which honor the attorney teams behind litigation wins and significant transaction work that resonated throughout the legal industry this past year.
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January 17, 2025
Law360 Names Firms Of The Year
Eight law firms have earned spots as Law360's Firms of the Year, with 54 Practice Group of the Year awards among them, steering some of the largest deals of 2024 and securing high-profile litigation wins, including at the U.S. Supreme Court.
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January 17, 2025
Unified Care Services To Pay $18M To Settle PPP Case
Skilled nursing chain Unified Care Services LLC and its owner have agreed to shell out $18 million to put to rest a whistleblower suit alleging the California-based company and its affiliates knowingly included false information on Paycheck Protection Program loan applications, according to an announcement made Friday.
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January 17, 2025
Walgreens Knowingly Filled Invalid Prescriptions, Feds Say
The U.S. Department of Justice has accused Walgreens of knowingly filling millions of prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances that did not have a legitimate medical purpose or were not valid, intervening in cases brought by four whistleblowers in Illinois federal court.
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January 17, 2025
Bayer, J&J Minimized Drug Reaction Data, 3rd Circ. Told
A doctor urged the Third Circuit on Friday to revive his whistleblower suit against Bayer Corp. and Johnson & Johnson, arguing that the drugmakers' regulatory approval applications played down the side effects of the antibiotics Cipro and Levaquin.
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January 17, 2025
MultiPlan Wants Antitrust Claims Over Pricing Tools Tossed
MultiPlan and several major insurance companies urged an Illinois federal court to toss claims that they schemed to fix reimbursement rates, saying the pricing tools at issue do not hurt the healthcare providers that are bringing the case.
Expert Analysis
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5 Steps For Healthcare Companies After Biden's AI Order
Rather than simply monitoring for the issuance of agency guidelines on artificial intelligence in the wake of President Joe Biden's October executive order, health and life sciences companies should take action now and begin building internal operational and technical infrastructures designed to govern the use of AI, says Joy Sharp at Faegre Drinker.
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Giving The Gov't Drug Patent March-In Authority Is Bad Policy
The Biden administration's recent proposal to allow government seizure of certain taxpayer-funded drug patents is a terrible idea that would negate the benefits of government-funded research, to the detriment of patients and the wider economy, says Wayne Winegarden at Pacific Research Institute.
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How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
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When Patients Have Standing For Hospital Antitrust Suits
Brown v. Hartford Healthcare Corp., recently decided by a Connecticut state court, provides a useful examination of how antitrust standing issues may be analyzed when patients directly sue a healthcare system for anti-competitive conduct, says Charles Honart at Stevens & Lee.
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ESG Around The World: Singapore
Singapore is keen to establish itself as a leading international financial center and a key player in the sustainable finance ecosystem, and key initiatives led by its government and other regulatory bodies have helped the Asian nation progress from its initially guarded attitude toward ESG investment and reporting, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape
The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.
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Performing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The discipline of performing live music has directly and positively influenced my effectiveness as a litigator — serving as a reminder that practice, intuition and team building are all important elements of a successful law practice, says Jeff Wakolbinger at Bryan Cave.
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'Patient' Definition Ruling Raises Discount Drug Questions
A South Carolina federal court's recent decision in Genesis Health Care v. Becerra supports a broader definition of a "patient" eligible to receive discounted drugs under the Section 340B program, but raises a host of novel questions regarding how the decision will affect covered entities and enforcement actions, say attorneys at McDermott.
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Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct
The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.
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Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave
To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.
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Activist Short-Sellers Are The Dark Knights Of Wall Street
While so-called activist short-sellers have been subject to increased scrutiny in recent years, these investors work in the shadows like Batman to expose fraud on Wall Street, often generating leads that may move regulators to take action, say attorneys at Labaton Sucharow.
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Steps Toward A Unified Health Financing System For Calif.
A new law authorizes the secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency to move forward with designing a unified healthcare financing system, though the notable absence of healthcare payers in the law's list of specified stakeholders raises questions about the state's position regarding private payer options, says Ima Nsien at Squire Patton.
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Writing Thriller Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Authoring several thriller novels has enriched my work by providing a fresh perspective on my privacy practice, expanding my knowledge, and keeping me alert to the next wave of issues in an increasingly complex space — a reminder to all lawyers that extracurricular activities can help sharpen professional instincts, says Reece Hirsch at Morgan Lewis.