In the Spring 2015 edition of The Wharton Healthcare Quarterly, Duane Morris partner Lisa Clark’s article, “Affidavit: Healthcare and the Law – Healthcare Reform Update: What’s in a Name?,” discussed the innovations under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). One of the innovations was the Accountable Care Organization (ACO), where a new healthcare reimbursement system was introduced as an alternative to the tradition fee-for-service model. Over the years, the Accountable Care Organizations and other value-based models will be tested and hopefully, there will be buzz around this new model in the next year.
Duane Morris Special Counsel Michael E. Clark to Moderate Tweet Chat: Ebola and Legal Issues Raised by Reactions
Duane Morris special counsel Michael E. Clark will moderate a free Tweet Chat that is being hosted by the ABA Health Law Section on Wednesday, November 5, 2014 at 12:00 noon EST/11:00 a.m. CST.
About the Program
The Health Law Section’s second Tweet Chat will be held on Wednesday, November 5, 2014 at 12:00 noon EST / 11:00 am CST. The hashtag for the Tweet Chat will be #HLSChat. The Section’s Twitter account is @abahealthlaw. Follow the account for more information. The moderator for the chat will be the Section’s Chair, Michael Clark (@MichaelEClark). Also participating will be Kirk Nahra, @KirkJNahrawork an expert on privacy issues, and Melissa Markey, an expert on pandemics.
The topic is Ebola and legal issues raised by reactions. This is a popular topic in light of many fears about an outbreak in the United States and wanting to learn about treatment of individuals who have come back with the virus. Please join us to discuss these issues and share your ideas, thoughts and insights.
Duane Morris Special Counsel Michael E. Clark to Present on “The Physician and Attorney Relationship in a Fraud Audit”
Duane Morris special counsel Michael E. Clark will be speaking on “The Physician and Attorney Relationship in a Fraud Audit: Working Through Related Ethical Issues,” during the Physicians Legal Issues Conference presented by the American Bar Association Health Law Section in conjunction with the Chicago Medical Society and the American College of Physician Executives. Mr. Clark’s presentation will be on Friday, June 13, 2014 from 8:00 a.m. until 9:15 a.m. at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago.
Duane Morris’ Michael E. Clark Quoted in Modern Healthcare
Duane Morris special counsel Michael E. Clark of the firm’s Houston office, is quoted in “AHA Lawsuit over ‘Two-Midnight’ Rule Called Uphill Battle,” which appeared in Modern Healthcare on April 15, 2014.
No matter how strong their legal arguments, hospitals will have a tough time convincing judges to overturn Medicare’s controversial new rules on classifying inpatients, some legal experts say.
Continue reading “Duane Morris’ Michael E. Clark Quoted in Modern Healthcare”
Duane Morris Attorneys Frederick Ball and Erin Duffy to Present “Introduction to Drug Law and Regulation: The Legal Framework for Drug Regulation”
Duane Morris partner Frederick Ball and associate Erin Duffy will present at the “Introduction to Drug Law and Regulation: The Legal Framework for Drug Regulation” program on Thursday, November 7, 2013 at the Hyatt Regency New Brunswick in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
This introductory program provides a comprehensive overview of the laws and Food and Drug Administration regulations affecting the drug industry, and will help you and your organization get products approved and navigate regulatory problems. Experts will review the essential elements of FDA drug regulation in a systematic and comprehensive way. From the definition of “drug” to the different regulatory schemes for over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription (Rx) drugs, speakers walk you through key regulations and policies and will help you determine how those regulations and policies are applied.
For more information please visit the Food and Drug Law Institute website.
Mobile Medical Apps Guidance
Mobile health application developers, manufacturers, investors, healthcare providers and others received welcome news late last month when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration published its long-awaited final guidance on mobile medical applications under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. It is vital for any app developer to understand whether the guidance applies to their product from the initial design stage. Those who are already marketing software and apps that involve healthcare should also review the guidance with care to try to determine how FDA’s new regime impacts both business plans and continuing operations.
FDA Issues Proposed Rules That Give FDA Administrative Detention Authority with Respect to Drugs
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 15, 2013, released proposed rules implementing sections of the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA) and the FDA’s new authority to protect the integrity of the drug supply chain—specifically, Section 709 of the FDASIA [amending section 304(g) of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA)]. The proposed rules provide the FDA with the administrative authority to detain drugs the FDA believes are either adulterated or misbranded. The FDA will detain the drugs until it considers what action it should take concerning the drugs, whether legal or otherwise. The goal of this detention authority has been stated by the FDA as follows: “to protect the public by preventing distribution or subsequent of use of drugs … that are believed to be adulterated or misbranded … .” Comments on the proposed rule are due no later than September 13, 2013.
Click here to read the full Alert.
WellPoint Pays HHS $1.7 Million to Settle HIPAA Security Violations
Covered Entities Cautioned Regarding Use of Business Associates
On July 8, 2013, health insurer WellPoint, Inc. entered into a Resolution Agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (HHS), agreeing to pay HHS $1.7 million to resolve an HHS complaint regarding violations of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules during the period of October 23, 2009, through March 7, 2010. WellPoint reported a breach of electronic protected health information (ePHI) on June 18, 2010, leading to an HHS investigation that commenced on September 9, 2010.
The WellPoint matter serves as a reminder to HIPAA-covered entities and subcontractors that are business associates to comply with the HIPAA Security Rule and to prudently oversee the services provided by these business associates.
Click here to read the full Alert.
IRS Publishes Notice Providing Transition Relief in Response to ACA Delay
As outlined in our prior Alert, the Obama administration recently announced a one-year delay in the effective date of three key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA): (1) the annual information reporting requirements applicable to insurers, self-insuring employers and certain other providers of minimum essential coverage, (2) the annual information reporting requirements applicable to large employers (i.e., those with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees); and (3) the employer shared responsibility provisions. These provisions of the ACA will now be fully effective for 2015.
Click here to read the full Alert, which provides highlights from the IRS Notice 2013-45.
Obama Administration Delays ACA Employer Reporting and Penalties for 2014
In a July 2, 2013, blog posting on the U.S. Department of the Treasury website titled “Continuing to Implement the ACA in a Careful, Thoughtful Manner” the Obama administration announced that it will provide an additional year before the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) mandatory employer and insurer reporting requirements begin. These reporting requirements, which were originally scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2014, will now be delayed until January 1, 2015. More significant is the fact that the Obama administration acknowledges that the delay in the reporting requirements will make it impractical to determine which employers owe shared responsibility payments for 2014. Therefore, the employer shared responsibility provisions will also not be applicable until 2015.
Click here to read the full Alert.