Health Law Advisor

At the International Association of Privacy Professionals ("IAPP") Global Privacy Summit in Washington, D.C. on March 5^th and March 6^th, the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") was clear in its message that privacy was a top priority for the agency.  The FTC had a strong presence at the conference.  Three of the five Commissioners and the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection (Jessica Rich) all spoke at the conference and relayed a message of the importance of consumer privacy and security.  In that regard, the FTC speakers stressed the importance of:

• informing consumers of the ...

As we have explored a number of times on this blog, telemedicine has gone mainstream.  The more recent development is that employers seem to be paying more attention now. The numbers speak for themselves. A recent Towers Watson study focusing on employers with at least 1,000 employees concluded that U.S. employers could save up to $6 billion per year if their employees routinely engaged in remote consults for appropriate medical problems instead of visiting emergency rooms, urgent care centers, and physicians’ offices.

Attitudes towards telemedicine more generally in the United ...

While FDA made a push last fall to explore the technical challenges associated with 3-D printed devices (holding a public workshop in October 2014), the Agency's planned guidance on the topic fell to the "B-list" in FDA's 2015 medical device guidance agenda. According to the agenda, the Agency will issue a draft guidance document on 3-D printing as "guidance-development resources permit." In light of the regulatory uncertainty facing 3-D printing stakeholders, this may seem like unwelcome news – but is it?

Recent comments from Agency officials suggest that immediate guidance is ...

Our colleagues Adam C. Solander, August Emil Huelle, Stuart M. Gerson, René Y. Quashie, Amy F. Lerman, Frank C. Morris, Jr., Kevin J. Ryan, and Griffin W. Mulcahey contributed to Epstein Becker Green’s recent issue of Take 5 newsletter.   In this special edition, we address important health care issues confronting health care employers:

1. Potential ACA Changes Impacting Health Care Employers Under the New Congress
2. Pending Supreme Court Cases Involving the Affordable Care Act
3. Telemedicine and Employers: The New Frontier
4. Wellness Programs Under EEOC Attack—What to Do Now

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS") expects Qualified Health Plan ("QHP") Issuers to be more familiar with Marketplace requirements and better reflect those standards in Issuers' written policies and procedures, officials stated at the recent 2015 QHP Certification Conference held at CMS Headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland.

Twenty-three Issuers across fifteen Federally-facilitated Marketplace ("FFM") States were audited for compliance with Federal QHP requirements during 2014.  The audits focused largely on QHP's policies and procedures relating to ...

Tuesday, March 24, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. EDT

The past year has demonstrated that no organization is immune to security incidents that could affect its employees, customers, and reputation.  Understanding the complex legal framework governing data privacy and developing a plan to mitigate risk can be the difference between an incident and a disaster.

Join Epstein Becker Green's Privacy & Security Practice for a comprehensive overview of data breach priorities impacting organizations that deal in electronic data.  Presenters will identify strategies to prepare for and ...

Robert S. Groban, Jr. and the Immigration Law Group of Epstein Becker Green recently issued an alert that will be of interest to healthcare employers.

On February 24, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a final rule that extends eligibility for employment authorization to certain H-4 dependent spouses of H-1B nonimmigrants who are seeking employment-based lawful permanent resident status. H-4 spouses who fit the eligibility criteria will be able to apply for employment authorization starting on May 26, 2015.

Read the full Client Alert here.

Epstein Becker Green's recent issue of its Take 5 newsletter focuses on the 25^th Anniversary of the ADA and recent developments and future trends under Title III of the ADA.

1. Website Accessibility
2. Accessible Point-of-Sale Devices and Other Touchscreen Technology
3. Movie Theater Captioning & Audio (Narrative) Description
4. The Availability of Sign Language Interpreters at Health Care Facilities
5. "Drive By" Design/Construction Lawsuits

Reports in the last week stated that the computer manufacturer Lenovo had preloaded software onto various lines of computers which critically compromised cybersecurity. The software in question is a product called Superfish Visual Discovery, a program generally designed to replace advertisements seen while browsing the Internet with ads provided by Superfish. However, the method of implementation opens up a universe of potential problems.

What Does Superfish Do?

Superfish is designed to replace Internet advertisements with advertisements provided by their sponsors. In ...

Providers, take note: the Chronic Care Management (CCM) CPT Code 99490 is now payable by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Effective January 1, 2015, the Medicare program began making payments under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) for certain non-face-to-face management and care coordination services provided to beneficiaries covered under the traditional Medicare fee-for-service program. CCM services include, but are not limited to, development and maintenance of a plan of care, communication with other treating health care professionals, and ...