Articles and Blogs

Many clients have inquired about what they can do to ensure adequate safety precautions are being observed in their medical office buildings. A recent study found that 61% of Americans are not confident or only slightly confident that public spaces have the guidance needed to open safely. Another study found that 44% of respondents have…Read More

On September 4, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) issued an order to temporarily halt residential evictions of certain individuals for the nonpayment of rent through December 31, 2020 (“Order”). Based on the express language of the Order, the CDC aims to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by allowing some renters who…Read More

Michigan recently joined a chorus of states adopting protections for businesses and governmental agencies related to COVID-19 exposures and adding protections and requirements for employees. On October 22, 2020, Michigan Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, signed three new pieces of legislation. Health care organizations will particularly take note because many of their employees have no work-from-home options….Read More

On Thursday, October 29, HHS made the most substantial revisions to its Relief Fund Frequently Asked Questions document to date, adding or modifying 61 FAQs and deleting 78. Many of the deletions are related to the new or modified FAQs, as well as the updated Reporting Guidelines issued October 22, which we addressed here. However,…Read More

With Election Day just around the corner, employers will want to consider their local and state rules regarding whether employees are entitled to time off to vote. While there is no federal law requiring that an employer provide leave to its employees, there are a multitude of state laws – that vary with great significance…Read More

On October 28, 2020, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (“CISA”), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) and the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) coauthored an urgent cybersecurity advisory (the “CISA Alert”) describing the tactics, techniques and procedures (“TTPs”) used by cybercriminals against targets in the Healthcare and Public Health Sector (“HPH”) to…Read More

On October 22, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) published revised Provider Relief Fund Reporting Guidelines (“Revised Reporting Guidelines”) for providers (“Recipients”) who received more than $10,000 in relief fund payments from the Provider Relief Fund created by the CARES Act (“Relief Fund”) (the press release announcing the Revised Reporting Guidelines is available…Read More

Published on May 1, 2020, the Information Blocking Regulations (“Regulations”) currently have a compliance date of November 2, 2020. These Regulations reflect a paradigm shift in how health care providers must provide access to electronic health information. Further guidance is pending from CMS and OIG regarding enforcement of the rule; however, exclusion and $1 million…Read More

Beginning on November 2, 2020, health care providers around the nation must ensure compliance with the newly published Information Blocking Regulations (the “Regulations”). Reflecting a shift in how health care providers must provide access to electronic health information, these Regulations aim to improve the quality and availability of health care but also pose a risk…Read More