A patent is a property right granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. An owner of a U.S. patent (e.g., an inventor of the invention covered by the patent) may exclude others from making or selling the invention in the United States for a limited period of time. […]
Health Law Alert
OCR Announces First HIPAA Settlement with County Government
on Wednesday, 23 April 2014 in
Health Law Alert: Kristin N. Lindgren, Editor
On March 7, 2014, the Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced that it reached a settlement with Skagit County, Washington over potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Skagit County agreed to pay $215,000 and enter into a […]
Federal Court Decision in Nebraska Receives National Attention: US District Court Upholds ZPIC Sampling Methodology for Extrapolation to Determine Medicare Overpayment
on Wednesday, 16 April 2014 in
Health Law Alert: Kristin N. Lindgren, Editor
On January 22, 2014, the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska granted a motion for summary judgment by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), upholding an extrapolation from a statistical sampling of claims for chiropractic services, to recover $37,580 in Medicare overpayments. Wisconsin Physician […]
HIPAA Audits Round Two: Is Your Organization Prepared?
on Friday, 11 April 2014 in
Health Law Alert: Kristin N. Lindgren, Editor
On February 24, 2014, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced that it will begin a second round of HIPAA compliance audits. The audits will address compliance with the HIPAA Privacy, Security and Breach Notification Rules. The audit program will affect covered entities, […]
Federal Court Finds Stark/False Claims Act Applicable to Medicaid Claims
on Wednesday, 26 March 2014 in
Health Law Alert: Kristin N. Lindgren, Editor
A Florida federal district court has allowed a qui tam case to proceed arising from claims submitted to a state Medicaid program due to a potential Stark law violation. In U.S. v. All Childrens Health System, the relator, who had worked for All Childrens for many years as a practice […]
