Health Law Advisor

Our Epstein Becker Green colleagues have posted an NLRB update on the Management Memo blog: “Impact of Government Shutdown on NLRB, Part II: Some Proceedings Delayed Indefinitely, Extensions to Serve and File Documents Granted, New Charges Must Be Filed Within Six Months,” by Steven M. Swirsky, Adam C. Abrahms, and D. Martin Stanberry.

Following is an excerpt:

On Monday October 1, 2013, the Board published a Notice in the Federal Register to the NLRB’s website that supplements the effects of the Contingency Plan that we examined at outset of the government shutdown and NLRB ...

The OSHA Law Update blog has an update on the government shutdown: “OSHA Shutdown – Government Shutdown Strips OSHA to a Skeleton Crew,” by Casey Cosentino and Eric Conn of Epstein Becker Green.

Following is an excerpt:

The federal government shut down all but essential operations on October 1, 2013, after Congress failed to reach an agreement on a budget or a continuing resolution for funding government operations. As a result, OSHA (like most federal agencies) has furloughed more than 90% of its personnel and suspended most of its operations.

Read the full post here.

We recommend this post that was recently published on October 1st, 2013 on the Management Memo blog: “Government Shutdown “Closes” NLRB: 1600 of 1611 Employees Furloughed,” by Steven M. Swirsky, Adam C. Abrahms, and D. Martin Stanberry, our colleagues at Epstein Becker Green.

Following is an excerpt:

The shutdown of the federal government that took effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday October 1^st has shut down all non-essential operations of the US government, including those of the National Labor Relations Board (Board or NLRB).

The Board’s Contingency Plan for Shutdown in the ...

We recommend this recent client alert on Epstein Becker Green's website: "Special Immigration Alert: The Immigration Ripple Effect of a Government Shutdown," by Robert Groban, Jr., Pierre Georges Bonnefil, Patrick Brady, Jang Im, and Greta Ravitsky, our colleagues at Epstein Becker Green.

Following is an excerpt:

The looming prospect of a Government shutdown will have a significant impact on the immigration process. Activities of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be largely unaffected because it is funded by the fees it collects. The shutdown ...

By Kara Maciel and Jordan Schwartz

On September 16, 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced that Harris Health System (“Harris”), a Houston health care provider of emergency, outpatient and inpatient medical services, has agreed to pay more than $4 million in back wages and damages to approximately 4,500 current and former employees for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime and recordkeeping provisions.  The DOL made this announcement after its Wage and Hour Division (“WHD”) completed a more than two-year investigation into the ...

Below is a re-print of an article that we recently wrote for the Advisory Board Company’s 2013 third quarter General Counsel Agenda. To view the original publication in the General Counsel Agenda, click here.

For hospitals, the promise of telehealth has spurred innovation across multiple service lines and led to the emergence of a number of new delivery models such as telestroke, teleradiology, telepsychiatry, telepathology, teleICU and remote patient monitoring.  While many of these programs are leading to significant improvements in access to health care services, quality ...

We’d like to recommend an upcoming complimentary webinar, “Addressing and Responding to Workplace Violence and Active Shooter Scenarios to Protect Your Employees” (Oct. 2, 2:00 p.m. EDT), by our Epstein Becker Green colleagues Kara M. Maciel, Susan Gross Sholinsky, and Christopher M. Locke, with Daniel Hess and Lynne Cripe of The KonTerra Group, an employee assistance program provider that regularly counsels employees undergoing stressful life events that can lead to violence.

Below is their description of the event:

Violence in the workplace can range from bullying and ...

We recommend this recent post on the Hospitality Labor and Employment Law blog: “IRS Releases Proposed Rules on Employer's Information Reporting Requirements Under the Employer Mandate of the Affordable Care Act,” by Kara Maciel, Adam Solander, and Brandon Ge, our colleagues at Epstein Becker Green.

Following is an excerpt:

On September 5, 2013, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) released two proposed rules to implement important reporting requirements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), which will help determine penalties under the ...

By:  Alaap Shah

Most health care companies are aware of their central repositories of electronic protected health information (“e-PHI”).  Unfortunately, e-PHI often leaks out of central repositories and exists in a variety of “hidden” places.  This data leakage can create real headaches for health care companies, and can lead to violations of privacy and security laws.

Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) enforced against a health plan that failed to erase e-PHI from its photocopiers which were sold to a ...

Our colleagues' OSHA Law Update blog has a post we think will be of interest: "OSHA Launches Ergonomics Campaign in Healthcare Industries," by Eric J. Conn, Head of Epstein Becker Green’s OSHA Practice Group.

Following is an excerpt:

OSHA recently announced a campaign to raise awareness about the hazards likely to cause musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among health care workers responsible for patient care.  Common MSDs suffered in the patient care industry include sprains, strains, soft tissue and back injuries.  These injuries are due in large part to over exertion related to ...