Accenture and Crowell & Moring LLP are excited to host the “Fostering Innovative Digital Health Strategies” conference on June 23, 2016 at the Crowell & Moring Washington, DC office. This event will bridge the intersection of business, legal, and policy issues that innovative companies face in developing and integrating successful digital health tools and platforms.
Medicaid Managed Care Final Rule: Regulatory Convergence in a Post-ACA World, Novelty, and Modernizing Medicaid Managed Care
On May 6, 2016, CMS published the Medicaid managed care final rule in the Federal Register. The Final Rule overhauls Medicaid managed care for the first time in 14 years and tracks many of the industry-wide developments that followed enactment of the ACA. Given the breadth of the rule, Crowell & Moring is covering
Help Shape Federal Policy on the Internet of Things
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is looking for input on federal policy related to the Internet of Things (IoT). On April 5, NTIA published a request for comment on federal efforts to promote IoT efforts and foster innovation. The Department of Commerce will use the comments to develop a “green paper” identifying key
March 2016 Edition of Managed Care Lawsuit Watch
Managed Care Lawsuit Watch is Crowell & Moring’s summary of key litigation affecting managed care. If you have questions or need assistance on managed care law matters, please contact any member of the Health Care Group. Cases in this issue include:
- Helfrich v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield Ass’n
- King v. CompPartners, Inc.
- Unilab
Medicaid Matching Funds Available to Connect Providers Eligible for Meaningful Use with other Providers
There is a very significant funding opportunity for State Medicaid Programs, which can support use of health information technology by health care providers that provide care to Medicaid recipients and those who may exchange information with Medicaid providers eligible for Meaningful Use incentives. It may also benefit technology developers that are engaged in health information
President Obama Addresses Precision Medicine, Health IT, Data Access, and Security
On February 25, President Obama addressed a small audience at the White House, identifying the need for patient participation in health care and the importance of individualizing treatments for a particular patient. Obama said that precision medicine can lead to reduced costs, better care, and a more efficient health care system. He stated “the health care system is actually more of a disease-care system in which the patient is passive, you wait until you get sick, a bunch of experts then help you solve it,” and that precision medicine is about “empowering individuals to monitor and take a more active role in their own health.” His remarks were quite genuine and showed his personal interest in precision medicine as he seemed to talk “off script” with his panelists.
A year ago the President launched the Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) to accelerate medicine that delivers the right treatment at the right time to the right person, taking into account individuals’ health history, genes, environments, and lifestyles. This includes efforts by the NIH to build a 1 million-person voluntary national research cohort who will partner with researchers, share data, and engage in research to transform our understanding of health and disease through precision medicine. It also includes efforts by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which has enrolled over 450,000 Veterans in the Million Veteran Program (MVP), a participant-driven research cohort.Vice President Biden’s cancer moonshot initiative builds on this initiative.Continue Reading President Obama Addresses Precision Medicine, Health IT, Data Access, and Security
Congress Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Expand Telehealth, Remote Patient Monitoring
Last week, Democrats and Republicans from both chambers introduced the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act (S. 2484, H.R. 4442), which would improve health care quality and realize cost savings by eliminating current restrictions on telehealth and remote patient monitoring. Click here to read our
Crowell & Moring’s 2016 Litigation & Regulatory Forecasts: What Corporate Counsel Need to Know for the Coming Year
Featured Industry: Health Care
Spotlight on Best Practices, Litigation, Antitrust, and Tax for Health Care Companies
Crowell & Moring LLP is pleased to release its “2016 Litigation & Regulatory Forecasts: What Corporate Counsel Need to Know for the Coming Year.” The reports examine the trends and developments that will impact health care companies and other corporations in the coming year—from the last year of the Obama administration to how corporate litigation strategy is transforming from the inside out. This year will bring remarkable change for companies, as market disruptions and the speed of innovation transform industries like never before, and the litigation and regulatory environments in which they operate are keeping pace.Continue Reading Crowell & Moring’s 2016 Litigation & Regulatory Forecasts: What Corporate Counsel Need to Know for the Coming Year
HIPAA Guidance on Individuals’ Rights to Access Health Information
On January 7, 2016, the HHS Office for Civil Rights released guidance on individuals’ right to access health information under the HIPAA Privacy Rule. The guidance clarifies areas of confusion and non-compliance by covered entities and business associates, particularly in light of the proliferation of electronic health records and electronic health information. Areas of emphasis
Negating Elements for Kickbacks: District Court in the Fifth Circuit Grants Defendant’s Partial Summary Judgment Motion
In a December 10 decision, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas granted partial summary judgment in favor of a pharmaceutical company in a qui tam action – holding that the Relators’ discovery responses demonstrated that they could not prevail at trial on certain FCA claims.
Among other things, Relators alleged that Solvay Pharmaceutical, Inc. (SPI) violated federal and Texas false claims act statutes predicated on violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b). Relators alleged that SPI’s sales team paid physicians in gifts, lavish events, cash, gift cards, speaking engagements, and services, for over a decade, to induce them to write prescriptions for drugs that were reimbursed by the government.
After close of discovery, SPI filed a motion for partial summary judgment. SPI argued that:
Continue Reading Negating Elements for Kickbacks: District Court in the Fifth Circuit Grants Defendant’s Partial Summary Judgment Motion