Health Care

In college and graduate school, we all had professors that had “non-attribution/academic freedom” policies designed to foster open debate, critical thinking and robust discussion.

President Obama has announced plans to tighten gun control regulations, including applying the background check requirement to dealers at gun shows and on websites. Federal law already requires that those “engaged in the business” of selling guns must have a Federal Firearms License (FFL) and conduct background checks at the time of every purchase.

As we start a new year, let’s take a look back at a few hot topics that emerged in the managed care industry in 2015 and will likely be drivers of developments in 2016.

Recognizing the importance of telemedicine, a committee of the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission recently voted on a grant program that will award up to $500,000 each for two telemedicine pilots that target the behavioral health needs of children, homebound seniors, and people with substance use disorders.

As 2015 comes to a close and you look ahead to the New Year, we hope that you will consider joining us for an informative webinar on health care enforcement trends for 2016.

Over the past year, significant regulatory changes began to take shape that will have lasting effects on the laboratory industry for years to come.

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC" or "Commission") authorized staff to file an administrative complaint and to seek in federal court a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to block the proposed merger of Advocate Health Care Network (Advocate) and NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore) in the Chicago area.

As the year winds down, we look back on the significant developments in telemedicine in 2015 as well as look forward to what 2016 will bring.

A federal district court denied the Texas Medical Board’s (the Board) motion to dismiss an antitrust suit filed by a telemedicine company (Teladoc), finding that the Board is not entitled to state action immunity because its actions are not actively supervised by the state.

Last week the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) authorized an action to block a proposed hospital merger pending an administrative trial. Last week the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) authorized an action to block a proposed hospital merger pending an administrative trial.

Last week, my colleague Kevin McGinty published a fascinating advisory that provides a detailed analysis of data recently released by the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) in its annual report on False Claims Act (“FCA”) filings.

Looking back on 2015, it’s apparent that this was another very busy year for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency), whose oversight responsibilities are estimated to touch 25% of American consumers’ spending on various regulated products.

As the year winds down, we look back with a mixture of nostalgia and queasiness on the major Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) events that defined 2015. 

With 2015 coming to a close, we wanted to provide a recap of the major updates impacting the pharmacy industry and what pharmaceutical manufacturers, pharmacy benefit managers (“PBMs”), and pharmacies might expect in 2016. 

Late last week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that in FY2015 it obtained more than $3.5 billion in settlements and judgments from civil cases involving allegations of false claims against the government.

Experienced practitioners are anecdotally aware of the growth in recent years in the volume of health care qui tam litigation. That perceived trend is validated quite graphically in the most recent Department of Justice (“DOJ”) statistics on False Claims Act filings.

Last week, under the cover of the impending Thanksgiving Holiday, OIG lobbed another grenade at the 340B Drug Discount Program. The means of delivery was an OIG Report on Medicare Part B payments for 340B drugs.

Those wishing to comment on revisions to the Federal Policy for Protection of Human Subjects (known as the “Common Rule”) could add a 30-day comment period extension to the things they were grateful for at this year’s Thanksgiving dinner.

This week’s ML Strategies Health Care Update highlights the recent Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) forum on prescription drug costs, which featured players from every corner of the industry, including top government officials.

Last Tuesday, Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, announced at a hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health that FDA would move forward with finalizing its plan to regulate laboratory developed tests (LDTs) sometime in 2016.