Although the Biden administration has signaled its intention to revisit just about every healthcare regulatory initiative of its predecessor, one enforcement undertaking seems to be continuing … [Read more...]
Enforcement Trends:
New Administration Continues OCR HIPAA Right of Access Initiative
February 22, 2021
Labs in Court
4.3 Million Is Too High a Penalty for HIPAA Violation, Says Federal Court
February 19, 2021
Case: A federal appeals court has shot down what had been the fourth largest OCR penalty for a HIPAA violation as having “no lawful basis.” That decision means that instead of $4.3 million, the … [Read more...]
Lab Safety
Statistics Suggest OSHA Has Been Lax in Enforcing Workplace COVID-19 Safety
February 7, 2021
As COVID-19 cases surge, going to work has become a risky proposition, especially for employees of labs, hospitals and other health care facilities. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration … [Read more...]
Enforcement Trends: Has OSHA Done Enough to Enforce COVID-19 Workplace Safety Rules?
February 4, 2021
Even after the election and swearing in of the new President, federal government response to the COVID-19 pandemic remains a politically charged issue. One bone of contention involves whether OSHA has … [Read more...]
Special Focus
CBC Scoring of COVID-19 Inpatients May Help Hospitals Save Lives and Preserve Precious Treatment Resources
January 30, 2021
Early detection and early intervention have the potential to improve the prospects of recovery and positive outcomes for a broad range of diseases, including coronavirus. And now researchers in Europe … [Read more...]
Enforcement Trends
COVID-19 Distractions Cause 2020 OIG Health Care Fraud Recoveries to Dip to 5-Year Low
December 20, 2020
Not surprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic is hampering federal fraud fighting. The recoveries numbers bear this out. Here are the key findings from the OIG’s new Semi-Annual Report to Congress … [Read more...]
FOCUS ON
The Year in Labs Regulation: The 9 Biggest Stories of 2020
December 20, 2020
When 2020 started, COVID-19 was just a news story unfolding on the other side of the globe in China. The novelty of the pathogen meant that there were no tests specifically targeting the virus on the … [Read more...]
Kickbacks
OIG Issues Fraud Alert on Pharmaceutical Company In-Person Speaker Programs
November 27, 2020
Before the pandemic put the chill on live conference events, it was fairly common for pharmaceutical companies, device makers and diagnostics companies to offer healthcare professionals fees for … [Read more...]
DOJ
EKRA Prosecution: What Does this Mean for the Laboratory Industry?
November 21, 2020
By Charles Dunham, IV, Shareholder at Greenberg Traurig, LLP & Benjamin Nipper, Associate at Greenberg Traurig, LLP In January 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) made its first … [Read more...]
Enforcement Scorecard
The HIPAA Information Access Rights Crackdown Continues
November 18, 2020
The face of federal HIPAA enforcement has changed in a subtle but significant way in the past 18 months. Historically, the focus has been all about keeping personal health information (PHI) private … [Read more...]
