On January 1, California's Assembly Bill No. 352 (AB 352) went into effect, introducing significant changes to the handling and sharing of sensitive health information — particularly information related to reproductive health...more
Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed multiple bills into law as part of California’s ongoing efforts to safeguard access to reproductive and gender affirming health care. The new laws are intended to increase protections for...more
California is taking steps through Assembly Bill 254 (the “Bill”), approved by the State’s Governor on September 27, 2023, to ensure that patient information collected through reproductive or sexual health applications enjoys...more
The US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) declaration that COVID-19 remains a public health emergency (PHE) will continue through July 15, 2022, and is expected to be renewed again through October 13, 2022....more
This second installment assesses options for moving forward to address emerging gaps and an evolving health care industry. Why? Because the substantial history behind the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act...more
Hospitals and health systems are facing consumer demand for innovation, the need to expand and enhance streams of revenue and the push for improved quality, all while navigating changing regulations, federal enforcement,...more
On January 6, 2020, the California State Senate’s Health Committee unanimously approved California AB 713, a bill that would amend the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) to except from CCPA requirements additional...more
Health care providers are familiar with their obligations regarding protected health information (“PHI”) under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and its implementing regulations (“HIPAA”) and...more
Many telehealth and mHealth app developers are concerned about whether or not their app is a medical device under FDA regulations (and rightfully so), they often pay less attention to the Health Insurance Portability and...more
In a pair of recent cases, two California health care providers successfully warded off lawsuits arising from unauthorized data breaches of patient files. These cases illustrate that improper disclosure of electronically...more
California’s Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, Cal. Civ. Code § 56 et seq. (“CMIA”), provides that an individual may recover $1,000 nominal damages (plus actual damages if any) based on the negligent release of...more