Are Medical Marijuana Businesses Subject to HIPAA?

With medical marijuana legal in an ever-growing number of states, many businesses in the cannabis industry, particularly dispensaries, continue to wrestle with the question of whether they are subject to the Health Insurance and Portability and Accountability Act’s (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rule requirements. The bad news is that the answer is, it depends. The …

Understanding the HIPAA Security Rule and Tailoring Policies to Fit Your Business

Purpose and Practicality The HIPAA Security Rule[1] was designed to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of a patient’s protected health information (PHI) while allowing flexibility for each covered entity based on their size, complexity, technological capabilities, cost constraints, and the likelihood of potential risks to the electronic PHI (ePHI) they house. To make the …

Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Rules that Retiree Health Benefits May be Terminated Based on Ordinary Contract Principles

In its latest case addressing retiree health benefits, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has held that a collective bargaining agreement’s general durational clause controls when retiree healthcare benefits end. Zino v. Whirlpool Corp., 2019 BL 50961, 6th Cir. (2019). This is a new data point indicating that the Sixth Circuit has moved away from …

Blessings in Disguise: Hidden Opportunities in Healthcare Bankruptcies

Perhaps one thing we can agree on in discussing the healthcare industry:  it is in a state of distress stemming from the challenges created by an ever-increasing regulatory burden, changes in reimbursement rates, uncertainty with the Affordable Care Act, mounting tort and employment litigation.  The recent rampant growth of urgent care centers and retail clinics …