Apr 6, 2020 | COVID-19 Related Law, General, Health Care
On April 2, 2020, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp issued a shelter-in-place executive order, under which residents and visitors in Georgia must remain in their residences and take every precaution to limit social interaction starting at 6 PM on Friday, April 3, 2020, and...
Mar 31, 2020 | COVID-19 Related Law, General, Health Care, Medicare and Medicaid
On March 30, 2020, as part of the federal government’s continuing efforts to lessen the regulatory burden on healthcare providers during the pendency of the COVID-19 crisis, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued blanket waivers of certain...
Mar 31, 2020 | COVID-19 Related Law, General, Health Care
On March 30, the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“OIG”) issued a press release entitled “Message from leadership on minimizing burdens on providers.” In that press release, the OIG stated that it “places a high...
Mar 27, 2020 | COVID-19 Related Law, General, Health Care, HIPAA
Although the HIPAA Privacy Rule, which restricts the use and disclosure of individuals’ protected health information, applies even during public health emergencies, federal law permits the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to waive...
Mar 27, 2020 | COVID-19 Related Law, Cyber Law, General, Health Care
On March 9, 2020, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) issued Regulatory Notice 20-08 to members, granting temporary relief from certain regulatory requirements and providing guidance on actions firms should take in light of the COVID-19 pandemic....
Mar 27, 2020 | COVID-19 Related Law, General, Health Care, Medicare and Medicaid
On March 23, HHS-OIG became the latest federal agency to issue an alert warning of COVID-19 related scams. Specifically, HHS-OIG stated that “[s]cammers are offering COVID-19 tests to Medicare beneficiaries in exchange for personal details, including Medicare...
Mar 27, 2020 | COVID-19 Related Law, Cyber Law, General, Health Care
On March 18, OCR shared guidance released by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, warning individuals to remain vigilant for scams related to COVID-19. According to CISA, “[c]yber actors may...
Mar 27, 2020 | COVID-19 Related Law, Cyber Law, False Claims Act, General, Health Care
According to a press release by the Department of Justice (“DOJ”), numerous fraud schemes have developed related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a March 16 memo to U.S. attorneys, Attorney General William Barr directed the DOJ to “remain vigilant in detecting,...
Mar 27, 2020 | COVID-19 Related Law, General, Health Care
On March 17, the Trump administration announced that, due to the COVID-19 crisis, Medicare providers may now use phone and video conference, including FaceTime and Skype, to see patients, with no penalties. This includes blanket HIPAA waivers, as well as Medicare...
Mar 23, 2020 | COVID-19 Related Law, Employment Law, General, Health Care
On March 19, 2020, the EEOC issued updated guidance on pandemic preparedness to provide guidance related to COVID-19 and its effect on Titles I and V of the American with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act. Importantly, the EEOC notes...
