Category:Uncategorized
Brexit & Privacy Compliance
Ryan Meade Editor-in-Chief Director of Regulatory Compliance Studies at Loyola University Chicago School of Law Now that the UK referendum has expressed the voters’ preference to leave the European Union, there are some fascinating questions regarding how compliance programs deal with the unwinding. There is still considerable time to wrestle with these matters since both major …
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On this Day: the Federal Register (June)
Ryan Meade Editor-in-Chief Director of Regulatory Compliance Studies at Loyola University Chicago School of Law Since we have arrived at the end of another month, let’s see how the Federal Register page count is going. Please see previous month-end wrap-ups if you would like to learn where the horse race was at those points. …
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On this Day: the Federal Register (May)
Ryan Meade Editor-in-Chief Director of Regulatory Compliance Studies at Loyola University Chicago School of Law Now that it is the end of May, let’s check in on how the Federal Register page count is faring so far this year against recent years. Here is today’s ending page number compared to the last few years …
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Dealing with 71 Medical Licensure Boards: American Doctors Trip Over State Lines
In April 2013, members of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the Council of State Governments (CSG) embarked on a venture to create the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (the Compact or IMLC), a voluntary, expedited pathway to licensure for qualified physicians who wish to practice medicine in multiple states. On April 20, 2017, the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission, (IMLCC) issued its first Interstate Medical License to a Wisconsin physician who applied to practice in Colorado, setting a groundbreaking precedent in medical licensure portability. While the IMLC is a great first step toward increasing access to healthcare by expanding licensure portability, this initiative faces multiple regulatory hurdles.
Insurance Plans and Opioids: Releasing and Raising the Barriers to Prescribe
With the opioid addiction epidemic continuing to rise in the United States, several insurance companies loosened the existing barriers to addiction treatment. Aetna Insurance Company joined Cigna and Anthem in removing key provisions in its insurance plans that require additional authorization prior to providing addiction treatment. At the same time, Cigna proposed to strengthen barriers to physician prescribing of opioids in an attempt to further address the opioid epidemic.
Bose Accused of Blasting Consumer Listening Habits to Third Parties
Global music technology giant and headphone maker, Bose Corporation, has been hit with a class-action lawsuit alleging that Bose collected the listening preferences of the users of its wireless headphones and its companion application without their knowledge and sold that information to third parties. Counsel representing the class filed the complaint in federal court in Chicago, Illinois alleging violations of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (“ECPA”) and the Illinois-specific Eavesdropping Statute.
Securing All The Things: Cybersecurity, D-Link, and the Expansion of IoT
The internet of things (IoT) holds promise for new ways to interact with and leverage technology; however, ever-expanding connectivity brings increased vulnerability. Addressing security and privacy issues is necessary for the continued growth of the IoT—and, as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s case against D-Link Corporation demonstrates, one of vital interest to regulatory lawmaking bodies as well.
Government Scrutiny of Patient Assistance Programs
In the eyes of underinsured or uninsured patients, Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs) offer access to otherwise unaffordable medications. However, there are questions being raised whether PAPs are being abused by manufacturers as an inappropriate inducement. The government is increasing its inquiries into PAPs and is beginning to take more investigative action. PAPs are often funded by charitable donations from companies who benefit from the PAP paying for co-insurance for the very drugs the company manufactures. It is essential for companies seeking to develop or maintain charitable donations to remain compliant with existing regulations, but also be aware of forthcoming regulations as a result of present actions.
Airways Circumvent Inefficient Regulation with Inefficient Workaround
A 2010 regulation heightened the in-flight hour requirements for ‘First Officers’ (i.e., copilots) from 250 hours to 1500 hours. Advocacy for this regulation came from the families of Colgan Air Flight 3407, a fatal jetliner crash which the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined was caused by pilots failing to respond to warnings that the airplane was about to stall. However, years into the implementation of the 1500 hours rule, the regulation has shown only questionable increases in flight safety. Critics argue that debatable increases in passenger safety do not offset the sharp increase in costs associated with pilot training. Instead, airlines have figured out a way to circumvent this questionably inefficient regulation by sacrificing commercial efficiency.
Putting the Brakes on New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit, one of our nation’s busiest commuter railroads, is no stranger to service and safety issues. Once a model agency to others, it is now the U.S. leader for breakdowns, accidents, and fines. Last year the agency logged the most accidents of the nation’s 10 biggest commuter railways, including the deadly Hoboken train crash. This past March, Todd C. Barretta took the reins of New Jersey Transit’s Chief Compliance Officer—a position that had been vacant since the agency created a safety office in 2014. He lasted a mere six months before being demoted, suspended, and ultimately fired. The New Jersey Transit system is a dysfunctional runaway train that needs an overhaul of its operating system to ensure safety for passengers and employees.