Digital Health & Technology
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September 24, 2024
Google Can't Ditch Privacy Suit Over Period App Data Sharing
A California federal judge has refused to release Google from a proposed class action alleging the company used a data analytics tool to wrongfully retrieve data from menstruation tracking app Flo, rejecting the tech giant's arguments that the plaintiffs lacked standing and had consented to the disclosures.
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September 24, 2024
Philips Must Face Investor Suit Over FDA Compliance Issues
Health technology company Koninklijke Philips and its former CEO cannot escape a suit accusing them of misleading investors about the safety and compliance of its subsidiary's sleep and respiratory care products, which were recalled in 2021, but its chief financial officer and a former CEO of a Philips subsidiary were allowed to exit the case for good.
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September 24, 2024
Healthcare's AI Integration Is In Limbo As Laws Lag Behind
As healthcare organizations look to incorporate artificial intelligence into their systems, they're coming across a unique problem: They're ahead of the rules.
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September 24, 2024
2nd Circ. Partly Revives Suit Over $18.5B Telehealth Deal
The Second Circuit on Tuesday partially revived a suit against telehealth company Teladoc Health Inc. brought by investors who claim they were misled about the status of its integration with Livongo following their $18.5 billion merger.
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September 23, 2024
Medical Records Co. Accused Of Blocking Data Access
A company that helps insurance providers access patient data on Monday accused medical records company Epic Systems Corp. of violating antitrust law by using its monopoly over electronic health records to squash an emerging competitor.
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September 20, 2024
Fla. Judge Trims Health Co. Data Breach MDL
The Florida federal judge overseeing the multidistrict litigation of a health benefits administration company impacted by a data breach dismissed several state consumer law claims but said those who brought lawsuits can sue, saying they've plausibly alleged injuries after their personal information was allegedly stolen by a cybercriminal group.
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September 19, 2024
Outcome Exec Who Flipped Gets 7 Months For $1B Fraud Role
A former Outcome Health sales chief who was charged with helping to carry out a $1 billion fraud, but cooperated early and testified against his co-defendants, received seven months in prison Thursday for his role in the scheme.
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September 17, 2024
HIMSS Legal Chief Reflects On Balancing AI, Legal Risk
As artificial intelligence finds itself taking up a large role in the healthcare industry, experts say they're watching closely to see how potential regulations are set to shape the industry, especially as the technology is expected to outpace legal frameworks.
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September 13, 2024
The 2024 Regional Powerhouses
The law firms on Law360's list of 2024 Regional Powerhouses reflected the local peculiarities of their states while often representing clients in deals and cases that captured national attention.
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September 13, 2024
23andMe Inks $30M Data Breach Deal With 6.4M Users In MDL
Personal genomics company 23andMe has reached a $30 million settlement to resolve multidistrict class action litigation on behalf of more than 6 million customers whose personal data was stolen and in some cases leaked onto the dark web, according to a California federal court filing Thursday.
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September 11, 2024
Health Co. Owes $65M For Breach Of Medical Data, Nude Pics
Pennsylvania-based healthcare company Lehigh Valley Health Network will pay $65 million to individuals who had their private information, including cancer patients' nude images, exposed in a data breach, the plaintiffs' lawyers announced Wednesday.
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September 10, 2024
Amazon Must Trim 'Halo' TM For EU Market
Amazon Technologies could not convince the EU's intellectual property office to let it register trademarks for "halo" unscathed, with the office backing a Californian health technology company's bid to trim key protections for medical monitoring devices and health assessment services.
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September 10, 2024
Nelson Mullins Adds Baker Donelson Health Pro In Houston
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP has continued expanding a Houston shop that opened months ago by bringing on a healthcare attorney from Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC whose wide-ranging practice has included representing hospitals and other providers on cybersecurity and related issues.
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September 09, 2024
House OKs Bill To Bar Contracts With Chinese Biotech Cos.
Driven by concerns about U.S. genetic data being shared with the Chinese government, House lawmakers passed a bill on Monday to bar federal agencies from buying certain biotechnology linked to the Chinese government or from contracting with firms that use those products.
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September 06, 2024
Glioblastoma Org. Wants End To Rival's Use Of 'GBM'
The Glioblastoma Foundation has hit a competing nonprofit with a suit alleging that the group's use of the initials "GBM" in its name has ripped off its trademark and sown confusion among donors who can't tell the two organizations apart.
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September 05, 2024
Nvidia, Microsoft Face Patent, Cartel Allegations In Texas Suit
A new lawsuit accuses Nvidia of holding "monopoly power" over the market on graphics processing in the artificial intelligence space and alleges the tech company is colluding with Microsoft and a prominent patent risk management company to squeeze out a small startup that claims to have developed the "fundamental intellectual property" behind that technology.
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September 05, 2024
Lawmakers, AGs Urge Justices To OK Denial Of E-Cig Apps
A coalition of state attorneys general and a group of Democratic Congress members are backing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in its fight to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a decision striking down the denials of applications to market flavored vapes.
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September 04, 2024
Ill. Panel Backs Atty's Bid To Litigate Medical Record Fee Suit
An Illinois attorney looking to hold document delivery service Ciox Health LLC liable for charging allegedly illegal fees can pursue those claims in court since there is no evidence he ever agreed to arbitrate disputes with the company, a state appellate panel said Tuesday.
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September 04, 2024
Trade Group Urges Court To Toss FDA Lab-Test Rule
A clinical-lab trade group and an infectious disease laboratory that sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over its new final rule on laboratory-developed tests are asking a federal court to vacate it, saying Congress didn't grant the agency such power.
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September 03, 2024
Aesthetic Laser Co. Tells Jury Of Rival's 'Corporate Raid'
Medical aesthetic business Cynosure told a Boston federal jury Tuesday that two former employees and an industry rival launched a "calculated corporate raid" by poaching dozens of sales and marketing personnel, violating a host of noncompete and non-solicitation agreements while the departing workers pocketed trade secrets on their way out the door.
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August 30, 2024
Period Tracker App Users Seek Class Cert. In Data-Selling Suit
Users of the menstrual cycle tracking app Flo Health Inc. are seeking class certification in their suit against Flo, Google and Meta, telling a California federal judge the proposed class would include millions of users whose personal health information was sold to the ad giants without consent.
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August 30, 2024
Philips Accuses SoClean Of Discovery Delay In CPAP Recall
Koninklijke Philips NV says SoClean Inc. is unduly delaying claims that the company should contribute to Philips' $1 billion settlement over breathing machine foam by insisting on a wall between discovery materials in two related multidistrict litigations.
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August 30, 2024
Medical Tech Co. Exits MOVEit Hack MDL For $2.8M
Medical billing software firm Arietis Health LLC has agreed to pay $2.8 million to settle out of a multidistrict litigation brought by a class of victims of a 2023 data breach involving Progress Software's MOVEit file transfer tool.
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August 29, 2024
Ga. Health System Shakes Facebook Data Sharing Row
A Georgia federal judge has tossed a putative class action accusing Piedmont Healthcare Inc. of unlawfully sharing confidential health information with Facebook, finding that the plaintiffs failed to allege actual damages and that the "weight of authority" in similar online tracking cases supported the provider's contention that there was no privacy intrusion.
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August 29, 2024
Houston Law Firm Hit With 2nd Data Breach Suit
Houston personal injury firm Fleming Nolen & Jez has been hit with another proposed class action over a February 2023 data breach that exposed clients' personal and health information.
Expert Analysis
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5 Data Privacy Practices Cos. Should Implement Now
Businesses that are not subject to a comprehensive data privacy law should nevertheless consider implementing privacy practices that are consistent with current norms to help mitigate both common law exposure and an expensive rush to compliance if a federal law is passed, say John Rolecki and Alexander Thibodeau at Varnum.
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Privacy Lessons From FTC's BetterHelp Consent Decree
The Federal Trade Commission's recent enforcement action against BetterHelp highlights the growing risk associated with the use of third-party cookies and pixels on websites for companies that offer health services, say Rachel Marmor and Shannon Hartsfield at Holland & Knight.
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118th Congress: Investigative Priorities And Rule Changes
Attorneys at Gibson Dunn lay out what companies and individuals can expect with regard to congressional investigations in the 118th Congress, from political priorities to new rules and authorities.
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Emerging Trends In Electronic Health Record Enforcement
As electronic health record systems become increasingly ubiquitous in health care, recent Anti-Kickback Statute and False Claims Act cases involving EHR systems provide a helpful list of issues that tech-savvy relators and government investigators might identify, say Ellen London at London & Stout and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Li Yu.
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FTC's GoodRx Action Highlights Risks For Digital Health Cos.
The Federal Trade Commission's first-of-its-kind enforcement action against GoodRx for unlawfully sharing sensitive customer information is indicative of regulators' growing interest in the digital health space and heightens the importance of taking proactive compliance steps, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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What DOJ's 2022 Recovery Stats Say About FCA Enforcement
Despite showing a decline in False Claims Act recoveries in fiscal year 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice's recently released statistics should lead companies to expect a continued rise in government-initiated investigations, pandemic-related fraud enforcement and FCA cases involving new technology, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.
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Medicare Developments Ahead For Remote Health Monitoring
Stakeholders interested in remote monitoring services should keep an eye on an upcoming multijurisdictional contractor advisory committee meeting that may lead to a new local coverage determination affecting Medicare coverage for remote monitoring devices, say attorneys at McDermott.
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Calif. Privacy Law Holds Implications For Mental Health Apps
California is leading the way in privacy regulation with its amended Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, which has important compliance repercussions for mental health app developers and could serve as a model for similar laws in other states, say Christine Moundas and Elana Bengualid at Ropes & Gray.
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New Clinical Trial Law Promotes Diversity And Modernization
The Food and Drug Omnibus Reform Act, signed into law last month, will likely encourage more equitable subject recruitment and enrollment in clinical trials, and also could create a pathway toward clarifying ambiguities that have historically been left for regulated entities to piece together, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Evaluating The Legal Ethics Of A ChatGPT-Authored Motion
Aimee Furness and Sam Mallick at Haynes Boone asked ChatGPT to draft a motion to dismiss, and then scrutinized the resulting work product in light of attorneys' ethical and professional responsibility obligations.
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2022 Law And Policy Highlights In Digital Health Care
This year, federal regulators made good on several commitments to create new opportunities for digital health innovators, and a number of promising cybersecurity bills are on the horizon, but not all virtual health care law and policy developments have been positive, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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Next Compliance Steps For Health Cos. Using Tracking Tech
In light of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights' expansive view of what constitutes protected health information, regulated entities seeking to provide websites and mobile apps for patients may need to choose between several imperfect compliance pathways if they wish to continue using tracking technologies, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Top Trends And Challenges For Health Care Financing In 2022
Rising inflation, interest hikes, supply chain issues and public market disruption are just some of the factors that made 2022 a challenging year for financing health care deals, and all indications point to continued headwinds next year, say Stephanie McCann and Samantha Koplik at McDermott.