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In early November, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) released its General Compliance Program Guidance (the Guidance). This was HHS OIG’s first update since 2008. What You Need to Know: This is the first compliance compendium released by HHS...
On Halloween, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a $100,000 settlement under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) with Doctors’ Management Services (DMS), a Massachusetts medical management company that provides...
This month’s Friday Five covers cases relating to petitions for attorneys’ fees, unpersuasive self-reported evidence of disability, and a dilatory attempt to augment the administrative record. The Saul Ewing Employee Benefits/ERISA Litigation Team Western District of Wisconsin Slashes “Eye-Popping”...
In October 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) published Advisory Opinion 23-07 and approved a plan by a multi-specialty physician practice to pay its employed physicians bonuses related to net profits derived from outpatient procedures...
This month’s Friday Five explores recent decisions that range from the effect on disability benefits when medical records are not provided after two appeals, to a case that examines how an award of death benefits is determined, to a finding that an insurer’s decision to terminate benefits was not...
On September 11, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a settlement with LA Care related to potential violations of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). LA Care is the largest publicly operated health plan in the...
In late August, the HHS Office for Civil Rights ("OCR") announced an $80,000 settlement with United Healthcare Insurance Company ("United") relating to OCR's right of access initiative (the "Initiative") which requires that patients be able to access their health information in a timely manner...
This month’s Friday Five explores decisions regarding the timeliness of appeals, the support necessary to sustain an LTD termination decision, a court’s discretion to credit and discredit expert opinions, the circumstances under which an insured may be required to prove they were prejudiced by the...
The HHS Office of Inspector General issued an 'unfavorable' advisory opinion in August with respect to a proposed joint venture relating to interoperative neuro monitoring. Parties considering joint ventures and those in joint ventures should review the OIG analysis to assess compliance with...
This month’s Friday Five addresses two cases involving disability claims that touch on Covid-19, a Circuit Court ruling for an insurer, a district court ruling that a 20-year-old regulatory settlement precluded an insurer from relying on the opinions of physicians it hired, and a claim for breach of...
A recent Law360 article by Peter Murphy provided that to-date, cannabis companies are unlikely to challenge the constitutionally of mandating labor peace agreements (LPAs) as a condition of state cannabis license. It looks like change is in the air. What You Need to Know: A Rhode Island cannabis...
This month’s Friday Five covers cases relating to what constitutes a fiduciary function, a finding of disability despite working full-time, an enforcement of suit limitation clause, the circumstances under which reinstatement is an appropriate remedy, and ERISA preemption. The Saul Ewing LLP...
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a settlement on June 28, 2023 of potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules with iHealth Solutions, LLC (doing business as Advantum...
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) recently announced two settlements with HIPAA-covered entities – one in Washington State and one in New Jersey with settlements of $240,000 and $30,000, respectively. In the Washington State settlement, hospital...
This month’s Friday Five covers cases relating to a plaintiff’s attempts to seal a complaint seeking disability benefits, an administrator’s uncommunicated decision to discontinue its investigation into certain medical conditions, an administrator’s loss of the deferential standard of review for...
After extensive negotiating, party-line votes, and resolution of conflicts between the senate and house, Minnesota’s Adult-Use Cannabis bill (“HF 100” or “the bill”) is finally headed to the Governor’s desk. The Governor has indicated he is eager to sign the bill, making Minnesota the 23rd state to...
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) announced two (2) different settlements, one with a HIPAA business associate for $350,000 and one with a HIPAA-covered entity pursuant to the OCR Right of Access Initiative for $15,000...
This month’s Friday Five explores two recent decisions that discuss limitations on benefits when both physical disability and disability arising from mental illness are alleged, whether remand of a claim by the court constitutes a new appeal or a continuation of the previous appeal, whether an order...
On Friday, April 21, 2023, Gov. John Carney issued a press release indicating he would not veto two legalization bills on his desk as he did one year ago, and they would go into effect on Sunday, April 23, 2023. Sources suggest that, unlike last year, the Democratic-controlled General Assembly would...