INSIDE COMPLIANCE – Page 72 – Loyola University Chicago School of Law

Telehealth in the Age of COVID-19

June 18, 2020HIPAA & Health Information, Uncategorized

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act – enacted in 1996 by the U.S. Congress and signed by then-President Bill Clinton – has long served to maintain the standards of electronic health records and patient privacy, among many other provisions. Violating HIPAA can result in both criminal prosecution as well as steep civil penalties. As the healthcare industry transitioned from the use of paper records to storing patient data on electronic health records over the last two decades, health organizations have learned to adapt to HIPAA compliance, with many increasing their compliance programs by hiring full-time compliance officers, designating an individual as the compliance manager, and/or appointing a compliance committee within the organization.

#CoronavirusCOVID-19HIPAAJournal of Regulatory CompliancePrivacy & SecurityRegulationtelehealthtelemedicine

The Regulation of Meat and Poultry Processing Facilities in COVID-19

June 4, 2020The Marketplace, Uncategorized

The meat and poultry packing industry has recently fallen victim to the spread of COVID-19. Among fierce backlash over the federal government’s lack of action to protect meat packing facility workers, the CDC and OSHA released interim guidelines. These guidelines are to be followed by employers not only to keep workers safe, but to avoid a shortage of one of America’s most prized food sources: meat and poultry. The meat packing industry, as one of the most heavily-regulated industries in the United States, now faces increased regulation during a global pandemic.

CDCCOVID-19environmental regulationFood ProcessingJournal of Regulatory ComplianceOSHARegulation

COVID-19’s Detrimental Impact in Long-Term Care Facilities

May 22, 2020Uncategorized

According to the Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”), older adults and people with severe underlying medical conditions are at higher risk for developing more serious complications from the COVID-19 illness. For this reason, among others, long-term care facilities have been hit particularly hard by the virus. Although it was difficult to be prepared for this pandemic, there are concerns that many long-term care facilities did not have proper preventative measures in place in even before COVID-19 became an issue. Because of this, long-term care facilities have become hot spots for the viruses spread. As states and the federal government continue to monitor long-term care facilities’ compliance with local and federal laws, regulatory agencies are now also faced with added pressure to not only slow the spread of COVID-19 within the facilities, but also to control the legal environment in the anticipated aftermath of the outbreak.

CMSCOVID-19Regulation

Employer Compliance with CARES Act

May 19, 2020Finance & Banking, Uncategorized

On March 27, 2020, President Donald J. Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (H.R. 748), otherwise known as the “CARES” Act. Originally introduced in January as the Middle-Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act, the bill was then revised to address the needs of the United States amid the coronavirus pandemic. The bi-partisan CARES Act, with strong support from the White House, ultimately passed the House of Representatives with a 419-6 roll call and the Senate with 96-0 votes.

#CoronavirusCARES ActCOVID-19Journal of Regulatory CompliancePaycheck Protection ProgramRegulationstudent loans

Telehealth Services Amid a Global Pandemic

May 6, 2020Uncategorized

With COVID-19 rapidly spreading, telehealth services have been seeing an explosion of demand. On March 17, 2020, President Trump announced during a White House press briefing an unprecedented expansion of telehealth services for the 62 million Medicare beneficiaries who are amongst the most vulnerable to the disease. The Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) have since vowed to work with the administration by temporarily relaxing certain HIPAA, altering licensure, cost-sharing, and auditing requirements. As the number of patients increases, compliance and privacy risks associated with telehealth also surge.

COVID-19ePHIFDAJournal of Regulatory CompliancePandemictelehealth

The NCAA and COVID-19: How are Student Athletes Impacted?

May 5, 2020Athletic Regulation, Compliance Spotlight

Sarah Suddarth Associate Editor Loyola University Chicago School of Law, JD 2021 The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruption to everyone’s lives, and student athletes are no exception. The unprecedented situation has presented many questions and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”) has attempted to answer many of those questions coming directly from the displaced …
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COVID-19EducationNCAAstudent athletes

Tiger King and Zoo Auditing

May 4, 2020Uncategorized

Libby Meadows Associate Editor Loyola University Chicago School of Law, JD 2021 Like many people during this quarantine, the majority of my days are spent switching through different streaming sites trying to find anything entertaining to watch. Towards the end of March Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness was released on Netflix. It instantly took …
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AnimalsAZABig Cat RescueCarole BaskinJoe ExoticJournal of Regulatory ComplianceTiger KingZoo

The Empire State’s New Data Privacy Law

May 1, 2020Uncategorized

Data privacy and more specifically, user privacy, has become the focus for many in the past year. Some may say that the European Union began this “trend” with the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) with California soon following in their footsteps with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). However, seemingly more silently in New York, The Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security, or SHIELD Act has also been created in the interest of the protection of personal information. The SHIELD Act was enacted on July 25, 2019 as an amendment to the General Business Law and the State Technology Law to include breach notification requirements and stronger rules in place to enforce against businesses handling personal information. The SHIELD Act recently went into effect on March 21, 2020.

CCPAdata privacyGDPRnew yorkPrivacy & SecurityRegulationregulationsSHIELD Act

Prescribing Online with COVID-19

April 30, 2020Drugs & Devices, The Art of Compliance

COVID-19 has rapidly changed the healthcare field unlike anything has before. With the continued spread, healthcare providers have started to adopt telehealth as a way to access patients and continue to provide quality care, without breaking their self-isolation. One avenue that has long been closed off for physicians has been online prescribing, but COVID-19 appears to be changing even that.

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Action Against Individuals Regarding Fraudulent Genetic Testing

April 14, 2020Compliance Spotlight, Fraud & Abuse

Michael Manganelli Associate Editor Loyola University Chicago School of Law, JD 2021 In October 2019, The Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced a multi-agency and multi-state coordinated law enforcement action against 35 individuals involved in an alleged $2.1 billion genetic cancer testing scheme. The alleged scheme involved the payment of illegal kickbacks and bribes to medical professionals …
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Centers for Medicare and Medicaid ServicesDepartment of JusticeGeneticsHealth and Human ServicesJournal of Regulatory ComplianceRegulation