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Waller | July 2020

When I became a judicial law clerk right out of law school, my boss, a federal judge in Houston, Texas, explained to me that the goal of his job (and therefore mine) was to find the right answer and do the right thing. That was, in a sense, easy enough. Research the law, and figure out how it applies to the particular facts of each case — because following the law is the right thing to do. Of course, judges will disagree about how the law should apply ...

Waller | July 2020

On June 25, five federal regulatory agencies, including the federal banking agencies,[1] finalized changes to the Volcker rule that reduce margin requirements for derivatives trades and loosen restrictions on banking entities’ ability to invest in, sponsor or maintain certain relationships with hedge funds and private equity funds — known as “covered funds” under the Volcker rule ...

Waller | July 2020

The impacts of COVID-19 appear set to permanently expand telehealth and fundamentally transform how and where providers practice. Shortly after the start of the pandemic, CMS made major temporary federal policy changes in response to the pandemic, including expanding access to telehealth services for people with Medicare, such as home health visits, and reimbursement for additional services when furnished via telehealth ...

Waller | July 2020

The use of telehealth skyrocketed during the COVID-19 public health emergency, as many regulatory barriers restricting its use were temporarily removed at the federal and state level and by private payors. Providers and patients adapted to the changes and are now relying on these flexibilities to deliver and receive high quality virtual care. This rapid expansion of the use of telehealth has ignited the need for permanent telehealth reform ...

Waller | July 2020

Rohit Chopra, the head of the Federal Trade Commission, recently issued a statement regarding private equity roll-ups in connection with the FTC’s annual report to Congress related to the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act. The full text of the statement can be found here ...

Waller | July 2020

CHALLENGE Promise Healthcare Group, LLC was one of the nation’s largest healthcare providers focused on post-acute care services. The investor-owned company operated two freestanding medical-surgical hospitals, 14 long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs), and two skilled nursing facilities. The company also had 45 affiliates across eight states ...

Waller | July 2020

Metro Nashville has issued clarifying guidance for re-entering revised Phase Two, which begins July 3, 2020. Citing the spike in cases reported after the Memorial Day holiday, Mayor Cooper intends to prevent a new outbreak from large crowds celebrating the Fourth of July in Nashville’s Lower Broad. Dr ...

Waller | June 2020

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has extended the executive order allowing drive-through, carryout and delivery of beer, wine and spirits for restaurants. Read Executive Order 50 here. Restaurants, limited-service restaurants and wine-only restaurants can continue to sell carryout and deliver alcoholic beverages and beer. There is no additional license or permission needed to deliver ...

Waller | June 2020

We are seeing significant upticks in state responses to violations of COVID-19 safety orders. Hours ago (June 26), Florida suspended all sales of alcohol at bars. The state broke the news via Twitter. Florida Gov ...

Waller | June 2020

Amid the unprecedented changes wracking the business world in 2020, one certainty remains: many industries will look very different in future years as strategic responses to COVID-19 gain traction and become permanent. In the healthcare REIT sector, we are beginning to see trends that may shape industry norms long after the dust has settled from the chaos of 2020. 1 ...

Waller | June 2020

Folks are all abuzz about the June 18, 2020 “Emergency Meeting” of the Metro Nashville Beer Board. The Beer Board has cited the following: Moxy Downtown Kid Rock’s Broadway Brewhouse Downtown Nudie’s Click for a copy of the notice of the meeting ...

Waller | June 2020

We are pleased to share the following summary about the Tennessee Business Relief Program. Key takeaways are: The money does not have to be paid back Revenue hopes to start disbursing in early July Unlike PPP and other relief programs, there is no application. A huge shout-out for the excellent summary to Jim Schmidt and Sharon Michie from the Tennessee’s Brewer’s Guild ...

Waller | June 2020

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced how dentists who bill Medicaid can now access a $15 billion Provider Relief Fund allocated by the CARES Act to cover COVID-related expenses and losses ...

Waller | June 2020

On June 5, President Trump signed the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 (the “Act”) into law, providing several important modifications to the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) that PPP borrowers should know about ...

Waller | June 2020

On the heels of growing pressure and mounting criticism from Congress and labor unions that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was not doing enough to protect workers, OSHA issued new guidance expanding employers’ reporting requirements related to COVID illnesses ...

Waller | May 2020

While the SEC’s amendments described in our prior blog post (locatedhere) provide relief to companies in a number of industries – including oil and gas, foreign private issuers, business development companies, and investment funds – we’re taking a closer look at the impact the amendments will have REITs and other real estate companies ...

Waller | May 2020

Hospitals and health systems are on the frontlines fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. But, behind the scenes, they are grappling to sustain operations and finances significantly impacted by the state of the economy. In the latest version of our PointbyPoint podcast, Waller’s Ken Marlow and Eb LeMaster, managing director at Ponder, discuss the various factors impacting hospitals and health systems today ...

Waller | May 2020

According to several sources, we understand that the SEC is reportedly investigating public companies that received funds under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Established under the CARES Act in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the PPP provided funding to eligible companies for payroll and other eligible costs, but the SEC is now reportedly investigating some of those very recipients and using their public disclosures to assess eligibility and need ...

Waller | May 2020

As the nation’s healthcare industry grapples with the impact of the first wave of COVID-19, many hospitals are facing fiscal pressure. This is particularly true for providers who fall into the following categories: Providers who are or were partially overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, experienced shortages of PPE and significant staff stress, all of which tested systems and leadership like never before ...

Waller | May 2020

Waller has created this FAQ to assist employers prepare to reopen their doors and return to “normal” operations. It is critical that businesses develop a reopening plan and communicate new expectations before employees return. There are many issues for businesses to consider when making a plan to reopen. Included below in FAQ format are questions/recommendations to consider in formulating a reopening plan that makes sense for your business ...

Waller | May 2020

With pandemic-related legal filings on the rise across the country, the Waller Government Relations team has worked closely with the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry to draft the Tennessee Business Recovery and Safe Harbor Act ...

Waller | May 2020

In light of the COVID-19 National Health Emergency, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) introduced temporary policies related to H-1B-sponsored physicians who are completing their three-year J-1 waiver service commitment requirements. The temporary policies relate to full-time work requirements and the ability of J-1 waiver-approved physicians to provide telehealth services ...

Waller | May 2020

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a news brief in connection with a further extension of the relief provided under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The USPTO has offered patent and trademark applicants and owners an additional thirty (30) days in which to file certain documents and pay certain fees, extending the deadline set by the original notices to June 1st ...

Waller | May 2020

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) issued revised guidance to its state and county offices on making and processing loans to hemp producers. Because hemp was federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill, the revised guidance is part of the USDA’s overall efforts to treat hemp as it would any other agricultural commodity with respect to available programs and services typically afforded to such commodities ...

Waller | May 2020

On May 4, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced a temporary final rule amending certain rules that apply to securities offerings initiated under Regulation Crowdfunding between May 4, 2020 and August 31, 2020 ...

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