INSIDE COMPLIANCE – Page 92 – Loyola University Chicago School of Law

The Woes of Hanford Workers: Convoluted Contracts and Burdensome Bureaucracy

September 14, 2018Uncategorized

Since the Hanford Site stopped producing plutonium in 1987, contractors continue to clean up leftover radioactive contamination and hazardous solid and liquid waste. Although precautions are being taken to prevent workers from being contaminated by or exposed to the waste, the risk remains and worker’s compensation claims follow. The Department of Energy (DOE) OIG recently published an audit report concluding that the DOE does not have effective policies and procedures concerning the Workers’ Compensation Program at the Hanford Site.

ContractorsColumbia RiverEPAenvironmental regulationEnvironmental Protection AgencyEnergyDepartment of Labor and IndustriesDepartment of EnergyKennewickNuclear EnergyNuclear ReactorHWECHanfordHanford SiteHanford Workplace Engagement CenterToxic WasteState of WashingtonWashington StateWorker's CompensationPenser North AmericaPascoPlutoniumSenator CantwellSenator Maria CantwellSenator MurraySenator Patty MurrayRichland

Trump’s Holiday Gift for E-Commerce

November 29, 2018The Marketplace, Finance & Banking

Just in time for holiday shopping, and at the beginning of Q4, President Trump delivered some news for holiday shoppers. In what shocked some, but others found as expected and inevitable, President Trump continued his message to the world that the US will not be “handing out donations” much longer. His latest re-negotiation to bring dollars back to the US has left overseas ecommerce providers wondering what the latest move in this Administration’s financial overturn is going to do for their business. It’s not the big players like Amazon that’ll feel the brunt of this, but the smaller players in the eCommerce space that outsource their products overseas may feel a hit in their margins as this move by Trump takes its toll.

commerceecommercefinance

Methane Emission Regulation Newest Proposed Target for EPA Rollbacks

September 19, 2019Uncategorized

On August 29, 2019, the Environmental Protection Agency (“the EPA”) announced a proposed reconsideration amendment to an Obama Administration rule regulating the natural gas industry’s methane emissions. This proposal is in response to President Trump’s order for federal agencies to review their actions, purportedly to remove potential resource burdens. The EPA asserts that the changes will remove regulatory duplication and save the industry millions of dollars, but the savings may come at the expense of increasing the planet’s vulnerability.

EPAenvironmental regulationEnvironmental Protection AgencyenvironmentEnergyMethaneGreenhouse Gas EmissionsGlobal WarmingRegulation

“Grounding”: Federal Regulation in the Context of Aircraft Suspensions

April 8, 2019Uncategorized

On March 10, 2019, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 en route to Nairobi, Kenya crashed shortly after take-off leaving no survivors. It became the carrier’s most deadly crash and its first fatal crash since January 2010. Most notably, however, it was the second fatal crash involving Boeing’s new 737 MAX jet in less than five months after the Lion Air Flight 610 accident in October 2018. The day following the tragedy, Ethiopian Airlines grounded all of its Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet until further notice. Many other airlines suspended operations of the aircraft as well and countless countries banned the 737 MAX from airspace.

airlineBoeingBoeing 737 MAXaviationInternational AffairsEthiopian Airlines Flight 302FAAgroundingTransportationRegulation

Data Privacy Rules Step Up to the Next Level

April 5, 2019Finance & Banking

The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) recently proposed two amendments to the Privacy Rule and Safeguards Rule under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLBA”). The Safeguards Rule requires financial institutions to develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive information security system. This rule went into effect in 2003. The Privacy Rule requires financial institutions to inform customers about its information-sharing practices and allows customers to opt out of having their information shared with certain third parties. This rule went into effect in 2000. The recent amendments to these two rules are intended to further protect consumers’ data from third parties. However, the changes could also adversely affect businesses.

data privacyFederal Trade CommissionGramm-Leach-Bliley ActPrivacy RulePrivacy & SecurityRegulationSafeguards Rule

Protecting PHI as the Health Care Industry Promotes Shift to TeleMedicine

April 4, 2019Uncategorized

In a time where much of the healthcare industry has shifted to incorporate telehealth and telemedicine, health care organizations and providers are faced with the upkeep of the growing influx of patient data and the challenges associated with their obligation to maintain patient privacy. These challenges increasingly more burdensome as providers strive to keep up to date with the advancement of technology. Healthcare organizations must maintain patient privacythrough close monitoring of clouds, employee use of mobile devices, patient access to medical information and scheduling, and access to the provider networks through non-organizational devices. Maintaining the multiple platforms is costly and the industry remains at risk due to the rising volumes of cybersecurity attacks and breaches. UConn Health recently experienced a data breachthat necessitated notifying 326,000 people of potential impact to their protected health information (PHI) including names, dates of birth, address, billing information, and even social security numbers due to potential access by an unauthorized person.

Health Insurance

Lessons from Theranos

April 2, 2019The Marketplace

Theranos, the health-tech and medical lab startup, was once one of the most hyped companies to come out of Silicon Valley. In 2014, after catching the attention of high-profile investors, the company reached a valuation of $9 billion. Following several employee and journalistic leaks in 2015, however, the public began to see the company for what it was, a fraud. An October 3, 2016 Inside Compliance article titled “Theranos: New Compliance Program Hopes to Save the Company,” was written following Theranos’ appointment of two outside executives to oversee regulatory, quality, and compliance standards. It is now clear that these efforts to save Theranos were too little too late, but we see some useful takeaways from Theranos’ downfall. This article will explore the key lessons learned as it relates to leadership, ethics, and compliance.

The Shift from Sectoral to Comprehensive Data Protection in Thailand

March 21, 2019Uncategorized

Ever since the enactment of the General Data Protection Regulation in the European Union, data privacy and data protection have become a hot topic for businesses and countries around the world. In the digital age where personal data is constantly collected, processed, and used, the need for strong data collection regulations has never been more important. Many countries have begun to enact data protection laws, and the most recent addition to a comprehensive data protection act is seen in Thailand. On February 28th, 2019 Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly approved the very first comprehensive data protection law in the country, the Thailand Personal Data Protection Act, which will be effective after a one-year transition period to help ensure compliance.

The Many Ethical Questions Arising from the Conduct of Michael Avenatti

March 19, 2019Uncategorized

By now, Michael Avenatti is a household name. He shot to fame in 2018 while relentlessly representing adult film actress Stormy Daniels in her pursuit of the invalidation of a 2016 non-disclosure agreement regarding an alleged affair with President Donald Trump. Avenatti is famously brash and confrontational, and since his rapid rise to fame, numerous allegations of professional misconduct have come to the public’s attention. While he has avoided formal discipline thus far, it seems like only a matter of time until Avenatti faces some consequences for his actions.

EthicsABA Model RulesAvenattiMichael AvenattiStormy Danielsrules of professional conduct

The Future of Online Prescribing

March 15, 2019The Art of Compliance

Telehealth allows for the delivery and facilitation of medical services through technology. It is rapidly evolving as the tech industry grows. Ten years after the passage of the Ryan Haight Act, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has still not taken any action to assist physicians in their usage of telehealth. Recently, Congress finally stepped in and passed a bill that requires the DEA to take action within the next year. But, the question still remains whether the DEA will finally act, or continue their history of avoidance?

CongressDEAJournal of Regulatory Complianceonline prescribingtelehealthtelemedicinethe Ryan Haight ActSpecial Registration for Telemedicine Clarification ActRegulation