The U.S. Biden administration announced Thursday that 28 health care providers and payers have signed the White House’s voluntary commitment aimed at ensuring the safe development of artificial intelligence (AI), adding to...more
In November 2023, OIG released its first ever General Compliance Program Guidance (GCPG). The GCPG is a comprehensive document that applies to all individuals and entities involved in the health care sector....more
The state of Connecticut recently enacted HB6669, which requires registration of pharmaceutical manufacturers employing sales representatives who interact with health care professionals (HCPs) in Connecticut. The portions of...more
On April 11, 2022, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) published Advisory Opinion No. 22-06, concluding that a pharmaceutical manufacturer’s sponsored genetic testing and...more
As we recently summarized online here, Oregon has approved a temporary rule implementing SB 763, which requires licensure of pharmaceutical sales representatives who visit health care providers in the state of Oregon for 15...more
A new ban on “Detailed Targeting” options for advertisers on Facebook and other Meta-owned social media platforms – which includes restricting marketing based on “health causes” – takes effect January 19, and may make it more...more
Taking effect January 1, Oregon recently approved a temporary rule implementing SB 763, which requires licensure of pharmaceutical sales representatives who visit health care providers in the state of Oregon for 15 or more...more
This morning, the U.S. House passed drug pricing legislation as part of the Build Back Better Act (BBBA) (specifically the Rules Committee version available here and the manager’s amendments available here). In prelude to...more
On August 6, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) released an updated and enhanced version of its voluntary Code on Interactions with Health Care Professionals (HCPs). The updated Code will take effect...more
The U.S. House of Representatives is considering dueling proposals related to drug pricing under Medicaid and Medicare, including the Republican-led H.R. 19, the “Lower Costs, More Cures Act of 2021” and a reintroduced...more
4/26/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
Medicaid Drug Rebate Program ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part D ,
Patient Access ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Regulatory Agenda
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently affirmed a $114 million judgment in a protracted, and hotly contested, suit filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act (FCA) against the owner...more
Companies in the life sciences and health care industry, like most companies, navigated unparalleled challenges in 2020. But unlike other industries, they had to do so while simultaneously facing the biggest challenge of all...more
Effective January 1, 2022, the “No Surprises Act” signed into U.S. law as part of H.R. 133, “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021,” implicates (1) emergency services provided by non-participating providers at participating...more
2/17/2021
/ Arbitration ,
Billing ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
New Legislation ,
Out of Network Provider ,
Out-of-Pocket Expenses ,
PHSA ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Surprise Medical Bills
Following on last October’s publication of two proposed rules, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published on November 20 two final rules intended to “modernize and clarify” the physician self-referral (Stark)...more
Along with proposed Stark Law exceptions designed to accommodate value-based care models, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS or the agency) adopted additional revisions to the Stark Law regulations (the final...more
12/1/2020
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Fraud and Abuse ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Patient Referrals ,
Physicians ,
Stark Law ,
Value-Based Care
On November 20, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) finalized its previously abandoned 2019 proposal to exclude certain rebates paid by drug manufacturers from the...more
11/25/2020
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Fraud and Abuse ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Healthcare Reform ,
MCOs ,
Medicaid Drug Rebate Program ,
Medicare Part D ,
OIG ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Safe Harbors ,
Stark Law
On November 16, 2020, the U.S. Health & Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a rare Special Fraud Alert – a type of guidance historically used to signal enforcement priorities – “to highlight certain...more
On September 23, the HHS OIG published Advisory Opinion No. 20-05, advising that OIG found “highly suspect” a manufacturer’s proposal to create a copay subsidy program to help certain financially eligible Medicare...more
9/30/2020
/ Advisory Opinions ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Anti-Steering Rules ,
Co-payments ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Manufacturers ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part D ,
OIG ,
Out-of-Pocket Expenses ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Subsidies
Earlier this month, the California Insurance Commissioner announced that AbbVie had entered into a settlement agreement with the California Department of Insurance (CDOI) to resolve allegations that the pharmaceutical...more
On Monday, March 30, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced an array of temporary regulatory waivers and new rules to equip the American health care system with maximum flexibility to respond to the...more
The Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS-OIG) announced the launch of a portal that will post announcements and information issued by OIG that are related to COVID-19. ...more
We are pleased to provide you with the third annual installment of our Life Sciences and Health Care Horizons guide. For each of these guides, we have asked our industry thought leaders throughout the world to write about...more
2/26/2020
/ 3D Printing ,
AIDS ,
Analytics ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Biosimilars ,
Biotechnology ,
Blockchain ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Cyber Threats ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Digital Health ,
Drug Distribution ,
Drug Pricing ,
EU ,
Federal Funding ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Health Technology ,
HIV ,
Incident Response Plans ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Life Sciences ,
Medical Device Data System ,
Medical Devices ,
Medical Software ,
Over The Counter Drugs (OTC) ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
PHI ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Procurement Guidelines ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Research and Development ,
Right to Try ,
Robotics ,
Supply Chain ,
Telehealth
Along with proposed Stark Law exceptions designed to accommodate value-based care models, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS or the agency) proposed additional revisions to the Stark Law regulations (the...more
10/21/2019
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Carve Out Provisions ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Life Sciences ,
Patient Referrals ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Stark Law ,
Value-Based Care
Nearly a decade after the Affordable Care Act signaled a transition of the U.S. health care system to value-based care, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published on October 9 two long-awaited proposed rules...more
10/14/2019
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Life Sciences ,
Physicians ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Burden ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Safe Harbors ,
Secretary of HHS ,
Stark Law ,
Value-Based Care ,
Value-Based Payments
Device and drug manufacturers got a small surprise in the annual Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule (at 40,713-16) issued late in July by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) – among many other things, the...more
8/16/2019
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Biotechnology ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Life Sciences ,
Manufacturers ,
Medical Devices ,
Open Payments ,
Opioid ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Sunshine Act