ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ

Policy & Compliance

  • April 30, 2025

    SuperValu Fights New Trial Bid In Whistleblower Drug Case

    SuperValu urged an Illinois federal judge Tuesday not to overturn its defense win on whistleblower claims of systematic prescription overbilling, saying the whistleblowers are now making "kitchen sink arguments" with little basis.

  • April 30, 2025

    Atlanta Home Health Service Faces Overtime Class Action

    An Atlanta home healthcare service was hit with a proposed class action Wednesday over allegations it failed to pay certified nursing assistants proper overtime compensation.

  • April 30, 2025

    DOL, HHS Seek Nix Of Bid To Halt DOGE's Access To Systems

    The U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services challenged a bid to halt agencies from giving Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency access to sensitive systems, telling a D.C. federal judge that a group of unions didn't show personal information would be leaked.

  • April 30, 2025

    Kratom Cos. Get False Ad, Addiction Suit Tossed

    A California federal judge has dismissed a proposed class action alleging Thang Botanicals and FTLS Holdings LLC mislead consumers about addictive qualities of their kratom products after the plaintiffs failed to file an amended complaint on time.

  • April 29, 2025

    Gilead Will Pay $202M In DOJ Deal Over Drug Kickbacks

    Gilead agreed to pay $202 million to the federal government and some states to resolve claims it made improper payments to high-volume prescribers of its HIV drugs, New York federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.

  • April 29, 2025

    Omnicare Hit With $136M Jury Verdict For Bilking Feds

    A New York federal jury on Tuesday returned a verdict finding that CVS Health Corp. subsidiary Omnicare illegally billed the federal government to the tune of $135.6 million, one of the largest jury verdicts in a False Claims Act case, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • April 29, 2025

    Ohio Justices Reinstate Trans Care Limits During AG's Appeal

    The Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday reinstated state law limits on gender-affirming care for transgender youths pending Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's appeal of what he called "radical constitutional views" of an Ohio state appeals court that last month blocked the restrictions.

  • April 29, 2025

    Trans Care In Court: DOJ Memo, Ohio Ban And Insurer Loss

    Ohio's highest court is allowing the state to enforce a law banning the use of puberty blockers and hormones for minors seeking to medically transition while the state's attorney appeals a ruling that portions of the law are unconstitutional.

  • April 29, 2025

    Justices Wary Of Issuing 'Advisory' Ruling In Class Cert. Row

    The U.S. Supreme Court's latest attempt to address a pressing question about class certification standards may be doomed by a procedural hiccup, with a majority of justices expressing concern Tuesday that they didn't have the authority to wade into a dispute over approval of a class that contains uninjured members.

  • April 29, 2025

    DC Judge Worries About 340B Rebate Program Without 'Teeth'

    The D.C. federal judge tasked with deciding dueling summary judgments in litigation accusing the government of blocking drugmakers' efforts to reshape the way they do rebates seemed skeptical of endorsing a vision of the program that could have "potentially devastating consequences."

  • April 29, 2025

    HHS Inspector Nominee A Partisan Outlier For Watchdog Role

    President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a particularly partisan background for a role viewed as nonpolitical.

  • April 29, 2025

    GenBioPro Can Defend FDA Approval In Mifepristone Suit

    A Texas federal judge has allowed drugmaker GenBioPro to join a legal fight over access to the abortion drug mifepristone, finding that the company has a distinct interest in defending federal approval of the generic version of the medication.

  • April 29, 2025

    HHS Legal Staff Cuts Will Impair Abuse, Neglect Enforcement

    A massive overhaul underway at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will wipe out the roles filled by more than 100 attorneys and other staff at offices in six states. Among the enforcement areas being hit are federal efforts led by regional HHS legal teams combating elder abuse and neglect at nursing homes.

  • April 29, 2025

    Companies Are Increasing Security Coverage For GCs, Execs

    UnitedHealth Group has disclosed it spent nearly $1.9 million on security for its executives and their families in 2024, including over $213,000 for chief legal officer Christopher Zaetta, and a new study shows more corporations are following suit.

  • April 29, 2025

    Opioid MDL Judge Won't Recuse Over Ex Parte Allegations

    An Ohio federal judge will not step aside from multidistrict opioid litigation after the plaintiffs' attorney, who had alleged the judge "regularly communicates" with other lawyers involved in the litigation, testified that there was no such communication after all, the judge ruled Tuesday.

  • April 29, 2025

    BCBS Wants Hospital Sanctioned For 'Cat-And-Mouse' Tactics

    Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina asked a federal judge to sanction a hospital company and its related entities for their purported "evasion, obfuscation, misdirection and outright misrepresentation" during discovery in a $32 million billing dispute that has gone on for seven years.

  • April 29, 2025

    High Court Backs HHS In Hospital Pay Formula Dispute

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with federal health officials in a challenge over a formula used to calculate billions of dollars in annual payments to hospitals treating indigent patients, saying that those entitled to Supplemental Security Income should be collecting cash payments before they're counted in the formula.

  • April 28, 2025

    Gov't Reverses Position On Surgery For Trans Prisoners

    The Trump administration is rejecting the federal government's previous stance that prison officials are constitutionally required to provide gender confirmation surgery to incarcerated people with gender dysphoria who request the treatment, noting the shift in recent statements to a Georgia federal court.

  • April 28, 2025

    NC Dentist Acquitted Of $3M Fraud, Tax Evasion Charges

    A North Carolina dentist was acquitted of wire fraud and tax evasion charges on the fourth day of a federal jury trial in which prosecutors had alleged the dentist submitted false loan applications to the Small Business Administration and failed to pay income taxes.

  • April 28, 2025

    Mich. Nurses Quit Claims Of Pay Withheld For Breaks Untaken

    Two registered nurses agreed to drop their claims of unpaid wages against the two locations of a Michigan healthcare system they had accused in federal court of requiring them to work through meal breaks without pay, ending the case Monday in federal court.

  • April 28, 2025

    2nd Circ. Upholds Clinic Manager's Repeat Charges For Fraud

    A decision that allowed the federal government to reindict a health clinic manager for a Medicare and tax fraud scheme can stand, a Second Circuit panel found Monday, agreeing with the lower court that his offenses were serious enough to permit it.

  • April 28, 2025

    Red States Want ACA Trans Health Rule Permanently Off Books

    A group of 15 red states that successfully got a Biden-era rule frozen that protected gender-affirming care under the Affordable Care Act have urged a Mississippi federal judge to rule the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services overstepped its authority and cannot require states to allow gender-affirming care for transgender people.

  • April 25, 2025

    HHS Sued Over Withholding Of $65.8M In Title X Funding

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services unlawfully withheld $65.8 million in federal grants for critically needed family planning services, a nonprofit alleged in a suit filed Thursday in D.C. federal court, saying the withholding seemed to be based, in part, on grantees' support for diversity, equity and inclusion.

  • April 25, 2025

    Justices Want More Info On HHS Authority In Task Force Row

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ordered the federal government and a group of Texas businesses and individuals to compile more information as to whether the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary has the authority to appoint members of a task force under the Affordable Care Act.

  • April 25, 2025

    Sutter Health To Pay $228M In Years-Old Antitrust Suit

    A class of millions of health insurance premium payors asked a California federal judge Friday to greenlight an eleventh-hour $228.5 million settlement resolving their long-running claims that hospital chain Sutter Health drives up costs by pushing all-or-nothing network deals on insurers.

Expert Analysis

  • Politicized OIGs Could Target Federal Employees, Contractors

    Author Photo

    After President Donald Trump fired nearly 20 inspectors general last week, it’s worth exploring how the administration could use Offices of Inspectors General to target federal employees and contractors, why it would be difficult to fight this effort, and one possible bulwark against the politicization of these watchdogs, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.

  • Takeaways From DOJ Fraud Section's 2024 Year In Review

    Author Photo

    Attorneys at Paul Weiss highlight notable developments in the U.S. Department of Justice Fraud Section’s recently released annual report, and discuss what the second Trump administration could mean for enforcement in the year to come.

  • IVF Suits Highlight Need For Better Legal Frameworks

    Author Photo

    The high number of in vitro fertilization embryo losses underscores the need for more cohesive legal and regulatory guidance related to human errors, property versus personhood, and liability, says Jeff Korek at Gersowitz Libo.

  • Takeaways From FDA's Updated Confirmatory Trial Guidance

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's latest draft guidance about accelerated drug approval indicates the FDA's intent to address the significant lag time between accelerated approval and full approval of drugs and may help motivate the industry to complete confirmatory trials, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • A Look At FDA's Plans To Establish New OTC Drug Category

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recently finalized rule, creating a new over-the-counter pathway for drugs when patients satisfy certain conditions, may be useful for off-patent drugs with established safety records, though switching to OTC comes with additional costs and considerations, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • 2024 Was A Significant Year For HIPAA Compliance

    Author Photo

    The Office of Civil Rights' high level of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act activity in 2024 and press releases about its specific focus on certain cybersecurity issues make it abundantly clear that the OCR is not going to tolerate widespread compliance complacency, says Nathan Kottkamp at Williams Mullen.

  • How 2025 NDAA May Affect DOD Procurement Protests

    Author Photo

    A bid protest pilot program included in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act shifts litigation costs onto unsuccessful bid protesters and raises claim-filing thresholds, which could increase risks to U.S. Department of Defense contractors who file protests, and reduce oversight of DOD procurement awards, say attorneys at Venable.

  • Top 10 Noncompete Developments Of 2024

    Author Photo

    Following an eventful year in noncompete law at both state and federal levels, employers can no longer rely on a court's willingness to blue-pencil overbroad agreements and are proceeding at their own peril if they do not thoughtfully review and carefully enforce such agreements, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • What 2024 Tells Us About Calif. Health Transaction Reviews

    Author Photo

    Looking back at the California Office of Health Care Affordability's first year accepting notices for material healthcare transactions reveals critical lessons on what the OHCA's review process may mean for the future of covered transactions in the state, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Updated HIPAA Rule Is A Necessary Step For Data Protection

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' updated rules addressing cybersecurity threats in healthcare will necessitate significant investment in technology, training and compliance infrastructure, but are an essential evolution in safeguarding data in an increasingly digital world, say attorneys at Clark Hill.

  • Courts Must Curb The Drug Price Negotiation Program

    Author Photo

    The Inflation Reduction Act's drug price negotiation program upends incentive structures that drive medical innovation, and courts must act appropriately to avoid devastating consequences for American healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry, says Jeff Stier at the Consumer Choice Center.

  • The OIG Report: Preparing For Oversight In 2025

    Author Photo

    Across sectors, Office of Inspector General work plans and challenge reports for 2025 provide a trove of information on the issues and industries that will likely be the focus of government oversight in the year to come, says Diana Shaw at Wiley.

  • 5 Drug And Device Developments That Shaped 2024

    Author Photo

    The last year saw significant legal developments affecting drug and device manufacturers, with landmark decisions and regulatory changes that require vigilance and agility from the industry, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.