In a previous post published on the Washington Legal Foundation’s Legal Pulse blog, Goodwin Partners Matt Wetzel and William Jackson discussed the potential implications of a high-profile recent lawsuit lodged by Pfizer against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office of Inspector General’s (“OIG”) over Pfizer’s drug…
The life sciences space is ever-growing and dynamic as the industry witnesses more companies and, therefore, more collaboration, licensing and M&A agreements, come into the spotlight. While these deals are exciting opportunities for life sciences companies at all stages, they can also be daunting when it comes to their legal…
As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses and the expanded use of telehealth has appeared to stabilize over the past year according to a July report from McKinsey & Company, Federal agencies have continued the recent trend of enforcement actions and audits of telehealth providers. On September 17, 2021, the U.S. Department…
In the ever-evolving life sciences industry, compliance is top-of-mind for investors, business leaders, the public and the government. Life sciences companies are subject to increased enforcement efforts and greater public scrutiny, and boards, investors, and other key stakeholders call for more and better compliance controls. As a result, there are…
In September 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a new rule that would expedite Medicare coverage for medical technology approved through the Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) “Breakthrough Devices Program.” CMS’s proposal – the Medicare Coverage of Innovative Technology, or MCIT, Pathway – was groundbreaking in…
Many allied health professionals are subject to state-level licensing requirements that can vary from jurisdiction-to-jurisdiction. What may be required in New York to hold a medical professional license may differ dramatically from what is required in Illinois or Texas, for instance. One state’s requirements may be onerous and administratively taxing;…
The use of telehealth continues to grow rapidly across the U.S. Given legislative proposals and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services efforts to expand access to telehealth, we can only anticipate that remotely engaging with healthcare providers is here to stay. In fact, the National Center for Health Statistics…
The No Surprises Act and Transparency in Coverage final rules go into effect January 1, 2022. Implemented as Titles I and II of Division BB of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, these rules are intended to protect patients from surprise medical bills and increase transparency by requiring certain health care facilities…
The Department of Justice (“DOJ”) has reported that in 2020, the government prosecuted dozens of laboratory owners and operators for anti-kickback related offenses responsible for hundreds of millions in alleged federal health care program loses. DOJ recouped a total of $1.8 billion dollars in connection with healthcare fraud allegations. Since…
Alere Inc. and Alere San Diego Inc. (collectively “Alere”) have come under fire recently by the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and other government agencies, agreeing to settle several rounds of accusations of False Claims Act violations for a total of $198.75 million. The first series of settlements was announced…