Blog

Recent HIPAA Settlements Included a Health Center and Identified “Longstanding, Systemic Noncompliance”

Posted September 9, 2020 By Dianne K. Pledgie & Filed Under: Blog, client alert, Health Law, HIPAA, News, Privacy

Federal Judge Blocks Repeal of Protections for Transgender Patients under Affordable Care Act

Posted August 25, 2020 By Dianne K. Pledgie & Filed Under: Blog, Health Law, News

The day before federal regulations reversing protections for transgender patients were to go into effect, a federal judge in New York temporarily… Read More

SAMHSA Issues New Rule on 42 CFR Part 2

Posted July 17, 2020 By Dianne K. Pledgie & Filed Under: Blog, Health Law, News

On July 15, 2020, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (“SAMHSA”) issued the latest changes to the regulations… Read More

OCR Announces New Rule on Section 1557, the Affordable Care Act’s Nondiscrimination Provisions

Posted June 16, 2020 By Dianne K. Pledgie & Filed Under: Blog, Health Law, News

On June 12, 2020, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a new Final Rule… Read More

Updated Federal Guidance Focuses on Non-Discrimination Laws and Re-Opening Workplaces

Posted June 15, 2020 By Dianne K. Pledgie & Filed Under: Blog, COVID-19, Health Law, News

On June 11, 2020, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its publication titled “Read More

OCR Issues COVID-19 Guidance on Disclosure of PHI to the Media

Posted May 7, 2020 By Dianne K. Pledgie & Filed Under: Blog, COVID-19, Health Law, HIPAA, News

Earlier this week, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a Read More

CLIENT ALERT: Patient Confidentiality During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

Posted April 8, 2020 By Dianne K. Pledgie & Filed Under: Blog, client alert, COVID-19, Health Law, News, Telehealth

Each week brings additional information and guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) related to the applicability and… Read More

CLIENT ALERT: Patient Confidentiality and the CARES Act

Posted April 8, 2020 By Dianne K. Pledgie & Filed Under: Blog, CARES Act, client alert, COVID-19, Health Law, News

FTLF Partners Author Article on Compliance and Ethics Programs in Nursing Facilities

Posted March 20, 2020 By Dianne K. Pledgie & Susannah Vance Gopalan & & Filed Under: Blog, Health Law, News

FTLF Partners Dianne Pledgie and Susannah Vance Gopalan co-authored a feature article in the March 2020 issue of the American Health Lawyers… Read More

CLIENT ALERT: Changes to HIPAA Rules on Charging for Patient Records

Posted March 2, 2020 By Dianne K. Pledgie & Filed Under: Blog, client alert, Health Law, HIPAA

Covered entities are no longer required to limit the fees they charge when sending records to a third party, according to a recent decision by the… Read More

Recent OCR Settlements Demonstrate that even if Strike One is Corrective Action, Strike Two can be Multi-Million Dollar Penalties

Posted November 19, 2019 By Amanda N. Pervine & Dianne K. Pledgie & & Filed Under: Blog, Health Law, HIPAA, News

When it comes to electronic protected health information (ePHI), the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is not in the business of providing covered… Read More

SAMHSA Proposes Changes to 42 CFR Part 2

Posted September 16, 2019 By Amanda N. Pervine & Dianne K. Pledgie & & Filed Under: Blog, client alert, Health Law

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (“SAMHSA”) recently issued two Proposed Rules which, if finalized, would bring additional… Read More

OCR Announces Changes to HIPAA Penalties

Posted May 28, 2019 By Amanda N. Pervine & Dianne K. Pledgie & & Filed Under: Blog, Health Law, HIPAA

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) recently reinterpreted the HIPAA penalty structure to reduce the maximum annual penalty… Read More

Enhancing Substance Use Disorder Services and Compliance Requirements under 42 CFR Part 2

Posted April 29, 2019 By Dianne K. Pledgie & Filed Under: Blog, Health Law

As health centers enhance their substance use disorder (SUD) services, including developing and expanding medication assisted treatment (MAT)… Read More

Opioid Strike Force Takedown Targets Medical Professionals Across Seven States

Posted April 26, 2019 By Dianne K. Pledgie & Filed Under: Blog, Health Law, Opioids

Last week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) Read More

OCR Requests Information on Revising HIPAA Rules

Posted February 5, 2019 By Dianne K. Pledgie & Filed Under: Blog, client alert, Health Law, HIPAA

HIPAA: Deadline Approaches for Health Center Reporting of Small Breaches to HHS

Posted January 26, 2018 By Dianne K. Pledgie & Filed Under: Blog, Health Law, HIPAA

Each year, health centers ask whether they really are required to report small breaches (those affecting fewer than 500 individuals) to the Office… Read More

Part 2 Final Rule on Confidentiality of Substance Use Records: Part 1 – Determining Whether Part 2 Applies to Your Organization

Posted April 7, 2017 By Dianne K. Pledgie & Filed Under: Blog, health center compliance

On March 21, 2017, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Final Rule on 42 CFR Part 2 (“Part 2”) went into… Read More

FTLF’S Health Law Attorneys Presenting at NACHC’s Policy and Issues Forum, March 29 – April 1, 2017

Posted March 23, 2017 By Adam J. Falcone & Dianne K. Pledgie & Edward T. Waters & Jacqueline C. Leifer & Martin J. Bree & Matthew S. Freedus & Michael B. Glomb & Molly S. Evans & Nicole M. Bacon & Marcie H. Zakheim & & Filed Under: Blog, Health Law, NACHC

Attorneys from FTLF’s health care practice group will be presenting the following educational sessions during the Read More

Deadline Approaching to Report Breaches Affecting Fewer than 500 Individuals

Posted February 15, 2017 By Dianne K. Pledgie & Filed Under: Blog, Breaches, Health Law

Health centers that discovered breaches of unsecured protected health information (PHI) affecting fewer than 500 individuals in 2016 have until… Read More

OIG Issues Work Plan for FY2017

Posted January 26, 2017 By Dianne K. Pledgie

Each year the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Inspector General (OIG) releases a Work Plan… Read More

FTCA Protection for Health Center Volunteers is On the Way

Posted January 12, 2017 By Dianne K. Pledgie & Martin J. Bree & & Filed Under: Blog, compliance, FTCA, Health Law

On December 13, 2016, President Obama signed the 21^st Century Cures Act. While the law affects many aspects of the health care… Read More

Lessons Learned from Recent HIPAA Settlements

Posted November 9, 2016 By Dianne K. Pledgie & Filed Under: Blog, health center, Health Law, HIPAA

If you have been overwhelmed by the number of HIPAA settlement announcements recently, you are not alone. Over the past sixteen months, the… Read More

On the Road to Compliance: How a Committee Could Lead You to Your Final Destination

Posted November 3, 2016 By Dianne K. Pledgie & Filed Under: Blog, Corporate Compliance, health centers, Health Law

If, as we near the end of 2016, your health center has a lot of unaccomplished items on its compliance work plan or “to do” list, it may be… Read More

FTLF Health Law Attorneys to Present at 2016 NACHC FOM-IT in Las Vegas

Posted October 24, 2016 By Adam J. Falcone & Dianne K. Pledgie & Edward T. Waters & & Filed Under: Blog, Community Health Centers (FQHC), FOM-IT, Health Law, NACHC

Attorneys from FTLF’s health care practice group will be presenting at educational sessions during the NACHC 2016 FOM-IT conference from… Read More

Outdated Business Associate Agreements Lurking in Your Office? Recent $400,000 HIPAA Settlement Provides More Reasons to Get Up-to-Date Now

Posted October 23, 2016 By Dianne K. Pledgie & Molly S. Evans & & Filed Under: Blog, health center compliance, Health Law, HIPAA

Late last month the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a $400,000 HIPAA settlement for… Read More