Policy & Compliance
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July 22, 2025
NC Hospital Says Dropped Malpractice Claim Dooms 2004 Suit
A North Carolina hospital is asking state appellate judges to determine whether a hospital can face claims of negligently credentialing a doctor if the plaintiffs have dropped the underlying medical malpractice allegation against the physician.
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July 22, 2025
Medicaid Cuts To Raise Staffing Pressure On Nursing Homes
Massive changes coming to Medicaid are expected to push more seniors reliant on state-supported services into nursing homes, adding pressure to a system already struggling with staffing and quality of care issues.
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July 22, 2025
Lawmakers Consider Case Of Would-Be Donor's 'Signs Of Life'
The nation's organ transplant system is again under the microscope of federal lawmakers after a federal investigation found that a Kentucky organ procurement organization moved forward with the transplant process despite the patient showing "signs of life."
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July 22, 2025
FDA Talks Transparency. Drug Cos. Ask How Far It Will Go
The first batch of rejection letters published as part of the FDA’s new transparency effort didn’t shake up the pharmaceutical industry. But future releases could trigger litigation and influence drug-development strategies, depending on how far the agency is willing to go.
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July 22, 2025
Judge Blocks Some Planned Parenthood Cuts In Partial Ruling
A Massachusetts federal judge partially blocked a measure passed by Congress this month stripping Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood-affiliated facilities, but only as it applies to those that do not provide abortions or that receive minimal federal support.
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July 22, 2025
A Billing Code 'Ambiguity' Retrial: 3 Things To Know
A Maryland doctor found guilty by a federal jury two years ago in a COVID-19 testing scheme, only to see his conviction thrown out, is once again facing a criminal trial. Law360 Healthcare Authority examines the restarted prosecution and talks to experts about what makes the case so unusual.
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July 21, 2025
Wash. Plastic Surgeon Can't Get $13M Jury Verdict Overturned
A Washington appeals court panel refused on Monday to undo a $13 million jury verdict against a plastic surgeon in a medical malpractice case, rejecting the doctor's argument that the lower court wrongly allowed evidence of state regulators' unrelated disciplinary proceedings against her.
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July 21, 2025
Pa. Hospital Can Shield Some Docs In Birth Injury Suit
A Pennsylvania state appeals panel won't force a hospital to turn over all of its internal reports in a suit by parents alleging that the hospital's negligence led to their son's injuries at birth, finding that the hospital sufficiently showed that two of the three contested files are privileged.
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July 21, 2025
States Say Noncitizen Benefit Restrictions Are Creating Chaos
A coalition of 20 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration on Monday for "upending" noncitizens' access to publicly funded programs like Head Start and food banks.
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July 21, 2025
Trump Admin's Harvard Cuts Vex Judge: 'Staggering To Me'
A Massachusetts federal judge said Monday that the Trump administration has not presented evidence that Harvard has failed to address antisemitism on its campus and expressed bewilderment at the government's legal justifications for cutting $2.2 billion in funding.
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July 21, 2025
Hartford Unit Must Cover Drug Test Co. In False Results Suit
A Hartford unit must cover a drug testing company in a suit over false positive tests, a Virginia federal court ruled, finding that the suit was not related to a prior proposed class action filed during another insurer's coverage period.
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July 18, 2025
Law360 Names 2025's Top Attorneys Under 40
Law360 is pleased to announce the Rising Stars of 2025, our list of more than 150 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age.
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July 18, 2025
Kaiser's $11M Class Meal Break Deal Gets Final OK In Wash.
A Washington state judge gave the final green light on Friday to a nearly $11 million class deal to end claims that Kaiser Permanente shortchanged Evergreen State employees who worked through their meal breaks, while also awarding class counsel $3.6 million in legal fees from the settlement fund.
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July 18, 2025
Investor Sues Biotech Capricor After Product's FDA Denial
Biotechnology company Capricor Therapeutics Inc. faces a proposed investor class action alleging it misrepresented its lead product candidate's approval prospects before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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July 18, 2025
Judge Advised Against State AG Intervention In Sandoz Deal
A special master on Friday advised a Pennsylvania federal court to deny a bid by California and other state attorneys general to intervene in a $275 million settlement resolving generic-drug price-fixing claims against Sandoz, finding they lacked standing to represent the interests of consumers.
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July 18, 2025
Judge Questions Basis For Planned Parenthood Funding Cuts
A Massachusetts federal judge on Friday pressed the government for any plausible rationale, besides retaliation, for a provision in Congress' budget reconciliation that will prevent Planned Parenthood and its affiliates from receiving Medicaid reimbursements if any one of them offers abortion services.
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July 18, 2025
Pillsbury Atty Fights Sanctions In Nurse Wage-Fixing Case
A partner with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP told a Nevada federal court he should not be sanctioned for using a poor choice of words when communicating with the government about the availability of an expert witness during a wage-fixing and wire fraud trial.
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July 17, 2025
21 States Fight ACA Rule They Say Guts Health Coverage
A 21-state coalition led by the attorneys general of California, Massachusetts and New Jersey sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Thursday, challenging a new Trump administration rule they say unlawfully undermines access to healthcare under the Affordable Care Act.
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July 17, 2025
Senators Float 'Patent Thicket' Bill To Limit Generic Litigation
A bill floated in the U.S. Senate would limit the use of so-called patent thickets that are asserted by major pharmaceutical companies in litigation to restrict generic competition.
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July 17, 2025
Insurer, Urology Practices Beat Puerto Rico Antitrust Suit
A Puerto Rico federal judge threw out an antitrust lawsuit accusing insurer Triple-S Salud and two urology firms of colluding to exclude rival practices from the commonwealth's government-run healthcare program, finding that the selection of a defendant practice through a competitive process means there was no anticompetitive harm.
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July 17, 2025
Ex-CEO Agrees To $27.5M Judgment In Medicare Fraud Case
A day before his trial was set to begin, the former CEO and owner of the now-defunct laboratory Premier Medical Inc. agreed to a $27.5 million consent judgment, acknowledging he was likely to be found liable in the suit brought against him by the federal government and three states.
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July 17, 2025
Fla. AG, Sandoz Clash With Other Enforcers Over 'Done' Deal
Sandoz and Florida's attorney general pressed a Connecticut federal judge Wednesday to let them settle out of sweeping price-fixing litigation against generic-drug makers, contending that federal civil procedure rules give no room for objections from other state enforcers worried the Sunshine State deal interferes with their own ability to negotiate settlements.
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July 17, 2025
4th Circ. Orders New Trial After Doc Acquitted In Fraud Case
A Fourth Circuit panel ordered a new trial for a doctor who received a judge's acquittal after a jury found him guilty of alleged healthcare fraud, finding that the jury had sufficient evidence to convict, but the case was "close," and the district court was correct in hedging and allowing another shot at the case.
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July 17, 2025
PE Firm Is Denied FDA Docs For Defense In Deal Challenge
An Illinois federal court on Wednesday denied a request from private equity firm GTCR BC Holdings LLC to force the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to produce more than a decade's worth of medical device approval applications as the firm fights a merger challenge from enforcers.
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July 17, 2025
6th Circ. Says Axed Expert Reports Doom Hip Implant Suit
The Sixth Circuit has sided with a medical device maker in a lawsuit brought by a man who alleged a component of his hip implant was faulty due to a manufacturing defect, saying the lower court correctly excluded his experts for their lack of knowledge about the surgery or the company's manufacturing processes.
Expert Analysis
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What's At Stake In High Court Transgender Care Suit
The outcome of U.S. v. Skrmetti will have critical implications for the rights of transgender youth and their access to gender-affirming care, and will likely affect other areas of law and policy involving transgender individuals, including education, employment, healthcare and civil rights, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
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6 Laws Transforming Calif.'s Health Regulatory Framework
Attorneys at Hooper Lundy discuss a number of new California laws that raise pressing issues for independent physicians and small practice groups, ranging from the use of artificial intelligence to wage standards for healthcare employees.
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Anticipating Calif. Oversight Of PE Participation In Healthcare
A new bill recently introduced in the California Senate revives last year's attempt to increase oversight of healthcare transactions involving private equity groups and hedge funds, meaning that attorneys may soon need to assess the compliance status of existing management relationships and consider modifying contract terms, says Andrew Demetriou at Husch Blackwell.
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Considering The Future Of AI Regulation On Health Sector
As Texas looks to become the next state to pass a comprehensive law regulating artificial intelligence, the healthcare industry should consider how AI regulation will continue to evolve in the U.S. and how industry members can keep up with compliance considerations, say attorneys at Kirkland & Ellis.
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What To Expect From 'Make America Healthy Again' Actions
The Make America Healthy Again Commission recently established by President Donald Trump and chaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will potentially bring energy and attention to important public health topics, and stakeholders should be aware of pathways for sharing their input and proactively informing proceedings, says Nicholas Manetto at Faegre Drinker.
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How Citizen Petitions Have Affected Drug Competition
In light of recent citizen petitions and proposed legislation regulating such petitions, Omar Robles at Managing Health analyzes the statistics of the extent to which citizen petitions have been filed, and to what extent they have delayed competition in prescription pharmaceuticals.
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Drug Kickback Ruling Will Make FCA Liability Harder To Prove
The First Circuit's ruling in U.S. v. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, requiring the government to prove but-for causation to establish False Claims Act liability based on violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute, raises the bar for FCA enforcement and deepens a circuit split that the U.S. Supreme Court may need to resolve, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.
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Assessing PE Risk After Mass. False Claims Act Amendments
A law recently passed in Massachusetts amends the commonwealth's False Claims Act by dramatically expanding potential liability for private equity firms and investors, underscoring the importance of robust diligence and risk assessments for private equity firms conducting transactions in the commonwealth, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
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What Trump Actions Mean For Federal Research Funding
New guidance from the National Institutes of Health represents a massive policy shift regarding federal funding for researchers at institutions of higher education, contributing to a perfect storm of significant resource shortfalls in upcoming years, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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A Look At Healthcare Transaction Oversight In Oregon
Understanding Oregon's enforcement authority and its impact on proposed transactions last year provides a road map to the state's plans to strengthen its processes this year, though enforcement could be challenged by ongoing litigation, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises
“No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.
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High Court Must Acknowledge US History Of Anti-Trans Laws
Despite Justice Amy Coney Barrett's claim to the contrary during oral arguments in U.S. v. Skrmetti, U.S. governments at every level have systematically discriminated against transgender people, and the U.S. Supreme Court must consider this historical context in upcoming cases about transgender issues, says Paisley Currah at the City University of New York.
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The Fate Of Biden-Era Clinical Study Guidance Under Trump
Draft guidance about the study of sex and gender differences in medical product development issued by the outgoing Biden administration currently faces significant uncertainty and litigation potential due to the Trump administration's executive orders and other actions, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.