Digital Health & Technology

  • August 06, 2024

    Pennsylvania Hospital Gets Data Breach Suit Whittled

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has shaved two counts off of a data breach lawsuit against Prospect Medical Holdings Inc., rejecting the hospital operator's argument that the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the suit but agreeing that not all of them stated valid claims.

  • August 06, 2024

    Testing Lab Can't Add Bad Faith Claims In Income Loss Case

    A Pennsylvania federal judge found Tuesday that a prior agreement between a medical testing lab and its insurer expressly precluded added allegations that the insurer acted in bad faith while handling the lab's claim for loss of records and business income.

  • August 05, 2024

    CooperSurgical Says Lab Hid Flawed IVF Product Tests

    Fertility technology company CooperSurgical Inc. has accused a Massachusetts testing lab of failing to follow proper procedures and misrepresenting the results of quality assurance testing on a product used in the in vitro fertilization process, leading to a recall.

  • August 02, 2024

    Health Tech Co. Beats Investor Data Platform Fraud Claim

    A healthcare technology company has escaped an investor suit challenging the existence of a data platform it touted, as a Connecticut federal judge found a former employee's assertions at the center of the proposed class action weren't enough to show the company knowingly misled investors about the offering.

  • August 02, 2024

    Privacy & Cybersecurity Midyear Report: 4 Areas To Watch

    New York and Colorado shook up the data privacy landscape by enacting groundbreaking laws protecting children online and clamping down on high-risk uses of artificial intelligence during the first half of 2024, and both states and the federal government are expected to devote considerable attention to these areas in the coming months. 

  • August 02, 2024

    Akin Debuts AI Law & Regulation Info Tracker

    Global BigLaw firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP launched a tracker to help monitor changing policies related to artificial intelligence in various fields including intellectual property, data privacy, health and national security.

  • August 01, 2024

    MultiPlan, Insurance Cos. Must Face Collusion MDL In Illinois

    The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation on Thursday centralized in Chicago six class actions challenging the MultiPlan pricing tools that healthcare providers allege are used by UnitedHealth, Aetna, Cigna and other major insurers to systematically underpay out-of-network providers, with more than a dozen similar lawsuits potentially tagging along.

  • August 01, 2024

    AliveCor Asks 9th Circ. To Revive Apple Watch Antitrust Case

    Medical monitoring startup AliveCor Inc. told the Ninth Circuit that Apple Inc. should not be immunized from antitrust claims over the removal of access to heart rate data on the Apple Watch because the change was intended to block competition and not improve the device.

  • July 30, 2024

    Bad Info Goes Viral: On FDA's Drug Misinformation Proposal

    Drug and medical device companies are set to enjoy more flexibility to combat online misinformation under new draft guidance. But they also will confront new questions about whether it’s worth it to take on a celebrity or social media influencer making inaccurate claims.

  • July 30, 2024

    Rite Aid Sued Over Data Breach That Affected 2.2M Customers

    Rite Aid was hit with a proposed class action Friday in Pennsylvania federal court accusing it of failing to safeguard more than 2.2 million of its customers' personal information associated with purchases of certain retail products made seven years ago, after hackers accessed its network using an employee's credentials.

  • July 30, 2024

    Meet Jordan Cohen, Akerman's New Digital Health Team Head

    Healthcare attorney Jordan Cohen of Akerman LLP talks about his new role as leader of a cross-discipline digital health team.

  • July 30, 2024

    5th Circ. Ruling Places FCC Rural Telehealth Funding In Peril

    From Alaska to Arkansas, thousands of rural healthcare clinics rely on internet subsidies from the Federal Communications Commission to provide telehealth services to far-flung or low-income patients. A Fifth Circuit ruling threatens to disrupt services for some living outside urban centers or in healthcare "deserts."

  • July 30, 2024

    Litigator Rejoins Faegre Drinker From Medical Device Co.

    Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP's newest lateral hire is stepping back into private practice after two years as associate general counsel for orthopedic implant company Exactech, and should be a familiar face around the firm's Indianapolis office.

  • July 29, 2024

    Judge Blocks Medical Records Co.'s Anti-Bot Captchas

    A Maryland federal judge on Monday enjoined electronic medical records company PointClickCare from blocking nursing home analytics company Real Time Medical Systems from accessing patient data with automated bots, saying PCC's firewall wasn't justified by concerns over security or system speed.

  • July 29, 2024

    Watchdog Says Zoom Call Doesn't Warrant Nixing $25.3M Deal

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office has refused to undo a $25.3 million contract to support the National Institutes of Health, unconvinced that the agency had revealed a bidder's proprietary information during a Zoom call with the eventual contract winner.

  • July 29, 2024

    Ga. Health Providers Hit With Data Breach Class Action

    Two Southeastern healthcare providers have been hit with a putative class action stemming from a 2023 cyberattack that allegedly compromised the information of more than 32,000 people, arguing the providers were asleep at the wheel as their patients' data was pilfered.

  • July 26, 2024

    Healthcare Software Co. Must Face Trimmed Data Hack Suit

    NextGen Healthcare will face a slimmed-down version of a proposed class action filed against it by customers who say their data was exposed in a 2023 data hack after a Georgia federal judge on Thursday tossed several state data privacy and consumer protection claims levied against the software company.

  • July 26, 2024

    Data Co. Told To Turn Over Contracts In Kochava Case

    A D.C. federal judge plans to order TargetSmart to turn over supplier contracts to the Federal Trade Commission in the agency's case against TargetSmart client Kochava on Friday, after TargetSmart's attorney said she was "99% sure that there was no due diligence done by Kochava" regarding the data's provenance.

  • July 23, 2024

    Texas Legal Services Biz Escapes Most Data Breach Claims

    A Texas federal judge has trimmed most claims in a proposed class action over a legal services company's data breach, leaving a negligence claim lodged by one plaintiff who alleges he was a victim of identity theft due to the breach.

  • July 23, 2024

    Clinic Gets NC Biz Court's Final OK For Hacking Suit Deal

    A North Carolina Business Court judge granted final approval to a class action settlement between a physician-owned orthopedic practice and the current and former patients who took it to court over a data breach that exposed their private information, including their medical records.

  • July 22, 2024

    NC Hospital, Patients Nearing Deal In Hacking Suit

    Columbus Regional Healthcare System and the patients who accused it of failing to properly protect their personal information at its North Carolina hospital have reached a tentative settlement agreement, according to a new notice asking the Tar Heel State's business court to pause proceedings while they hash it out.

  • July 17, 2024

    Teladoc Hit With Another Investor Suit Over BetterHelp Woes

    The telehealth company that owns online counseling platform BetterHelp has been slapped with a second investor suit accusing it of not being honest with investors about how profitable the mental health service actually was.

  • July 16, 2024

    Ex-FDA Head Calls For Congressional Action On Medical AI

    A former head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has some unexpected advice for policymakers wrestling with how to regulate artificial intelligence in healthcare: Take a look at the Apple Watch.

  • July 16, 2024

    Rural Providers Say Stalled Bill Threatens Telehealth Progress

    With the clock running out on telehealth rules implemented during an unprecedented global health crisis, small-town clinics and rural healthcare providers are increasingly uncertain about the future for Medicare beneficiaries in medically underserved areas.

  • July 16, 2024

    Feds Say Drug Monitoring Co. Founder Pulled $5M Scam

    The founder of a patient monitoring company pitched as an effort to help people recovering from addictions to avoid relapsing during medical treatment duped around 50 investors into putting $5 million into his firm, a now-unsealed criminal indictment alleges in Pennsylvania federal court.

Expert Analysis

  • New Health Data Compliance Considerations For Pa. Lawyers

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    Given the regularity with which attorneys handle private health information, it is important for Pennsylvania firms to understand recent significant amendments to the state's data breach law, which address information not currently covered by federal law, says Mark Mattioli at Post & Schell.

  • Mitigating Risks Of Developing Drugs And Devices With AI

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    As the use of artificial intelligence in drug and medical device development advances, companies should implement five key steps to identify and mitigate areas of potential risk before regulatory frameworks catch up, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • Scope Of FTC's Health Info Enforcement May Expand

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    The Federal Trade Commission's proposed amendments to the Health Breach Notification Rule signal the agency's mounting efforts to regulate consumer health information beyond the reaches of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, which does not cover many recent health apps and technologies, say Jodi Daniel and Brandon Ge at Crowell & Moring.

  • How Attys Can Avoid Exposing Their Firms To Cyberattacks

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    Attorneys are the weakest link in their firms' cyberdefenses because hackers often exploit the gap between individuals’ work and personal cybersecurity habits, but there are some steps lawyers can take to reduce the risks they create for their employers, say Mark Hurley and Carmine Cicalese at Digital Privacy & Protection.

  • Rare FDA Move Shows Stance On Remote Monitoring Devices

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent warning letter to iRhythm Technologies represents a relatively unprecedented degree of scrutiny to the remote monitoring device industry, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Tips For In-House Legal Leaders In A Challenging Economy

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    Amid today's economic and geopolitical uncertainty, in-house legal teams are running lean and facing increased scrutiny and unique issues, but can step up and find innovative ways to manage outcomes and capitalize on good business opportunities, says Tim Parilla at LinkSquares.

  • Health Providers Must Beware FCA Risks When Using AI

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    Though recent innovations in artificial intelligence can potentially bring increased productivity, greater efficiency and reduced costs to the healthcare industry, providers must take appropriate precautions to avoid risks and potential False Claims Act liability, says Sara Lord at Arnall Golden.

  • New Considerations In Med Device Cybersecurity Compliance

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    Recent guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration clarifies premarket submission procedures related to medical device cybersecurity, and indicates a significant expansion in the agency's expectations surrounding risk management practices for both manufacturers and providers, says Meghna Parikh at Buchalter.

  • Federal Oversight Of AI In Healthcare Is Taking Shape

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    A recent proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides early insights into how the federal government intends to oversee artificial intelligence and machine learning in healthcare, highlighting priorities like transparency, equity and potential kickback implications, say attorneys at Hooper Lundy.

  • A Close Look At Pennsylvania's Data Breach Law Changes

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    New amendments to Pennsylvania's Breach of Personal Information Notification Act will hold state agencies to stricter notification requirements more in line with those in other states, and will allow entities to determine a breach has occurred before their notification obligations take effect, says Lauren Godfrey at Constangy.

  • Abortion Pill Rulings Will Hinder FDA Authority

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    Although the Fifth Circuit recently stayed a Texas federal court's ruling that invalidated the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of a commonly used abortion medication, several points made by the courts are worth considering for their potentially chilling effect on FDA authority and the challenges they may create for the life sciences industry, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Key Guidelines For Conducting Clinical Trials Overseas

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    Conducting clinical trials outside the U.S. offers many benefits to researchers, but these benefits come with countervailing ethical and legal challenges that must be carefully addressed, say attorneys at Bass Berry.

  • Recent Growth Factors Driving Life Sciences Transactions

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    In view of challenges posed by last year's economic downturn, life sciences companies have increasingly turned to collaboration and licensing arrangements, with a focus on deal activity in artificial intelligence, digital health and gene therapy, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.