On July 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a final rule[1] outlining financial penalties, referred to as “disincentives” throughout the rule, for healthcare providers that engage in conduct that is considered “information blocking.” The 21st Century Cures Act defines information blocking as a “practice that interferes with, prevents, or materially discourages access, exchange, or use of electronic health information ...
Businesses throughout the United States have been monitoring the lawsuit filed by Ryan LLC, which challenges the legality of the Federal Trade Commission’s ("FTC") Non-Compete Rule (the “Rule”). The Rule is scheduled to take effect on September 4, 2024. It makes most existing non-compete agreements unenforceable and prohibits new agreements except in limited circumstances. On July 3, 2024, the U.S ...
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) recently cited Circles of Care, Inc., a Florida behavioral health company, for failing to provide a workplace free of recognized hazards. This citation followed an incident where a patient assaulted a mental health technician at a nurse work station ...
As previously reported, on April 24, the Federal Trade Commission passed a Final Rule that would render almost all non-compete agreements with workers unlawful, effective September 4, 2024. However, a recent decision from the Northern District of Texas blocked enforcement of that Rule for a short list of litigants and casts doubt on the Rule’s enforcement in the future ...
Recently, the Ohio General Assembly passed a bill, Substitute S.B. 40, which will enter Ohio as a party to the new Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact, and ultimately allow dentists and hygienists practicing in other compact states to practice in Ohio. This summer, the compact will form its commission, and will continue to work on operationalizing into 2025 before officially opening privilege applications ...
The Supreme Court has overturned the Chevron Doctrine–a four decade-old ruling that enabled Federal agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), to interpret ambiguous laws passed by Congress, and to have such interpretations enjoy a significant degree of deference ...
Administrative law has long had a reputation for boredom. But three blockbuster cases out of the Supreme Court last week have changed that. Each case is its own game changer, but together, the three cases are a sea change in an area of law typically known for consistency. Three things you need to know: In Ohio v. EPA, the Supreme Court stayed the EPA’s enforcement of a federal clean air plan covering more than 20 states ...
“The deference that Chevron requires of courts reviewing agency action cannot be squared with the [Administrative Procedures Act].”[1] The Administrative Procedures Act[2] (the “APA”) is a federal law that outlines the procedures that federal agencies must follow and provides federal courts with guidelines for reviewing the actions of these agencies ...
Conflicting interpretations of the causation standard in two AKS-predicated False Claims Act cases in the District of Massachusetts, Teva and Regeneron, mirrored the circuit split on the issue and led to interlocutory appeals before the First Circuit. The court’s eventual decision could have a major impact on the national landscape around this high-stakes question ...
The federal government has announced a new policy that will grant a path to work authorization and legal status for the undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens. The policy, which is known as “parole in place” or “PIP,” is expected to be similar to the existing PIP program in effect for family members of U.S. military personnel ...
Bill Gates said in a blog post: “The development of AI is as fundamental as the creation of the microprocessor, the personal computer, the Internet, and the mobile phone. It will change the way people work, learn, travel, get health care, and communicate with each other. Entire industries will reorient around it. Businesses will distinguish themselves by how well they use it ...
In a unanimous decision today, the Supreme Court rejected efforts to limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone, overturning an earlier decision by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court ruled that the physicians and medical associations who brought the case did not have the right to challenge the FDA's regulation of the drug. To have standing, plaintiffs must show they have a “personal stake” in the case ...
A recent Supreme Court decision means that owners of closely held companies with company-owned life insurance policies should take extra precautions to avoid an unexpectedly large estate tax bill from the IRS. On June 6, 2024, the Supreme Court of the United States decided in Connelly v ...
Summer is travel season, and whether you are traveling this summer to obtain a visa, or are traveling with a valid visa, there is a lot to keep in mind. From knowing the right documents to carry to making sure to schedule your appointment with enough time in advance, traveling as a nonimmigrant U.S. visa holder can be difficult. Below, we have compiled some tips and guidelines to keep in mind when traveling to avoid issues and ensure smooth travels this season ...
What’s worse than wanting to go to a concert for your favorite music artist and spending one-third of the ticket price in “convenience fees”? Apparently, getting hacked and losing roughly 560 million individual’s personal data—which is exactly what happened to Ticketmaster on May 20, 2024 ...
For many years, nurses in Ohio were only required to disclose convictions to the Ohio Board of Nursing on their biennial license renewal application. However, a new regulation from the Ohio Board of Nursing now requires licensees to additionally report a guilty plea, conviction or treatment in lieu of conviction of certain crimes within 30 days of the plea or entry ...
Recently, modifications announced by the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) to 42 C.F.R. Part 2 (“Part 2”) rules governing Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder (“SUD”) Patient Records went into effect. This is a major rule change for Part 2 providers and the enhanced penalties and enforcement measures make compliance with the new rules essential for any Part 2 provider ...
Did the United States Supreme Court upend specific jurisdiction in Ford Motor Co. v. Montana Eighth Judicial District Court, 141 S. Ct. 1017 (2021)? Not quite. But the Court did rule for the first time that due process does not require a causal link between the defendant’s activities in the forum and the alleged injury to the plaintiff. This case calls into question decades of precedent in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit suggesting otherwise ...
The Department for Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) recently issued a final rule under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which prohibits federally funded health programs from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. Consistent with the Supreme Court’s 2020 decision in Bostock v ...
The United States is on the verge of one of the biggest, if not the biggest, transformations to marijuana policy in the last 50 years. According to an Associated Press report, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is expected to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) ...
As the first round of H-1B Cap selections ended on April 1, 2024, employers began looking for options to sponsor highly qualified employees to fill positions of need. We outlined some options for those not selected in a previous client alert, including L-1 visas for intracompany transfers, O-1 visas for extraordinary ability individuals, J-1 and F-1 visas for students and other country-specific options ...
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) has submitted its final version of enforcement guidance on workplace harassment. We previously reported on the new guidance when it was proposed in early October of 2023. This is the first time the EEOC has updated its workplace harassment guidance since 1999. Some of the new topics addressed include remote work, the #MeToo movement and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia ...
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) voted to issue a final rule banning non-compete provisions in most industries in the United States (“Final Rule”). Dinsmore attorneys were quick to publish the details and impact of the Final Rule, which is available here. This supplement focuses on the impact of the Final Rule on the healthcare industry ...
In the latest update to Kentucky’s Medical Cannabis Program (the “Program”), Governor Andy Beshear signed House Bill 829 which moved up the timeline to apply for cannabis business licenses by six months. Additionally, two emergency regulations were issued by the Program that explain how to apply for a cannabis business license ...
On April 23, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) published its final rule increasing salary threshold amounts required for certain employees to be exempt from federal Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) overtime requirements. The new rule is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2024. Based on DOL estimates, the rule will expand overtime protection to cover more than 4 million additional workers within the first year ...
