HIMSS19 Brings Together Though Leaders on IOT and Telehealth

By Vinay Bhupathy on February 19, 2019 Posted in Healthcare Information Technology

In our February 13, 2019 blog post, “HIMSS19 Kicks-Off Addressing Leading Topics in Healthcare Information Technology,” we reported on the buzz that emerged from the first two days of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s (HIMSS) annual global conference that commenced on February 11, 2019. Now that the conference has concluded, it is time to discuss the key takeaways and lessons learned from the conference’s last few days regarding the application of the Internet of Things (IOT) to healthcare. Continue Reading

HIMSS19 Kicks-Off Addressing Leading Topics in Healthcare Information Technology

By John Booher, Michael Orlando, James Gatto and Abby Meyer on February 13, 2019 Posted in Blockchain, Health Information Technology

Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) kicked-off its annual global conference this week in Orlando, Florida, addressing leading topics in healthcare information technology. Over 45,000 healthcare and information technology professionals and 1,300+ vendors are expected to attend the week long event. Continue Reading

How Blockchain Technology Brings Value to Healthcare

By James Gatto on February 8, 2019 Posted in Blockchain

Blockchain applications for healthcare have garnered significant attention recently. For example, as we recently blogged, five major healthcare companies – Humana, MultiPlan, Optum, Quest Diagnostics, and UnitedHealthcare – formed the Synaptic Health Alliance (the “Alliance”) to explore how blockchain technology could resolve current healthcare issues. Continue Reading

Government Puts Electronic Health Records Companies “on Notice” of Vigorous False Claims Act Enforcement

By Michael Paddock and Erica Kraus on February 8, 2019 Posted in False Claims Act

Federal prosecutors announced yesterday the Government’s settlement with electronic health records (“EHR”) vendor Greenway Health, LLC (“Greenway”) of False Claims Act (“FCA”) allegations for a payment of $57.25 million and Greenway’s acceptance of a Corporate Integrity Agreement (“CIA”). The Government’s FCA complaint was filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont, the same office that handled the May 2017 civil settlement with EHR company eClinicalWorks for $155 million. The Greenway settlement is the second largest civil settlement in the District of Vermont’s history, topped only by the eClinicalWorks settlement. Continue Reading

Compliance Risk Alert: Opioid Warning Letters issued by the U.S. Department of Justice Target Prescribers

By Erica Kraus, Michael Paddock, David Douglass, Danielle Vrabie and A. Joseph Jay, III on February 6, 2019 Posted in DOJ, Drug and Pharmaceutical Law, Government Investigations

U.S. Attorney’s Offices (“USAOs”) across the country are issuing warning letters to physicians and other prescribers (collectively, “Prescribers”) cautioning them about their opioid prescribing practices (the “Warning Letters”). In just the last week, the USAO for the Eastern District of Wisconsin sent warning letters to over 180 prescribers identified by Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) data as prescribing opioids at relatively high levels. The Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission have also been issuing their own warning letters to opioid marketers and distributors over the past several months, evidencing a concerted effort to combat the opioid epidemic on a number of fronts through various federal enforcement and regulatory efforts. Continue Reading

Hospice Short Film End Game Up For Academy Award

By Brian Daucher on February 4, 2019 Posted in Healthcare, Hospice

Though beloved as a service, hospice can be a difficult subject for patients, families, and even caregivers. The recent short film, End Game (2018 NetFlix), follows a set of patients, families, and their caregivers through the difficult discussions and choices faced at end of life. It may help facilitate difficult discussions.

Third Circuit Rejects State’s Bid for Attorney’s Fees in Hospital Merger Dispute

By David Garcia and Melissa Gertler on February 1, 2019 Posted in Antitrust

Category: Antitrust

On January 23, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (“Third Circuit”) issued an opinion denying the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania the right to recover attorney’s fees after it had successfully blocked a hospital merger. The Third Circuit determined that the state had no federal statutory basis to be awarded attorney’s fees since the injunction had been granted under Section 13(b) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (“FTC Act”), which does not provide for attorneys’ fees, rather than Section 16 of the Clayton Act.

This case establishes binding precedent in the Third Circuit that state attorneys general will only have standing to seek attorneys’ fees in antitrust actions under the Clayton Act when the state actually litigates the case under that section. It also potentially has broader implications if other circuits decide to look to this decision as persuasive authority when deciding similar cases in their jurisdictions. Continue Reading

The Synaptic Health Alliance: A Look at how Blockchain Technology Could Improve Provider Data Quality

By Samuel Gilkeson, John Tilton and James Gatto on January 31, 2019 Posted in Blockchain

In 2018, five major healthcare companies – Humana, MultiPlan, Optum, Quest Diagnostics, and UnitedHealthcare – formed the Synaptic Health Alliance (the “Alliance”) to explore how blockchain technology could resolve current healthcare issues. The Alliance launched its first pilot program in April 2018 to focus on specific ways that “blockchain technology can help ensure the most current information about healthcare providers is available in the provider directories maintained by health insurers.”^[1] Aetna and Ascension joined the Alliance in December 2018, thus adding additional resources and unique perspectives to the effort of streamlining provider data management.^[2] Continue Reading

TRICARE: Defense Health Agency Issues Request for Information Regarding Formulary Management – Submission Deadline: February 5, 2019

By Keeley A. McCarty on January 25, 2019 Posted in Healthcare Law

The Defense Health Agency (DHA), which manages the TRICARE health care benefits, has issued a Request for Information (RFI) regarding inpatient-clinic administered pharmaceuticals formulary management. In other words, responding vendors have the opportunity to shape the standard list of drugs prescribed across all military medical treatment facilities (MTFs), as well as the broader program administering the list. Responses are due February 5, 2019. The RFI seeks commercial best practices in formulary management focusing on inpatient and medical benefit drugs, but also opens the door for responding vendors to describe their capabilities to train a formulary management staff, to develop approaches to formulary management, to compare program results, to maximize acceptance of an implemented program, and to utilize pharmacists in an inpatient setting.

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