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Please Click HerePosted on April 3, 2018 by Ruder Ware Alumni
Conducting HIPAA Breach Risk Assessments The HIPAA rules relating to assessment of potential patient confidentiality breaches were changed in 2013. Specifically, on January 17, 2013, the Office of Civil Rights released new regulations defining when a HIPAA breach is deemed to occur. These regulations recast the steps that covered entities are required to take when […]
Posted on March 29, 2018 by Ruder Ware Alumni
There seems to be a fair amount of confusion among farmers as to what role the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) plays in regulating farming operations. Among questions we get are “Do I as a farmer need to care about OSHA?” and “Does OSHA regulate farms the same as other businesses?” There is a […]
Posted on March 16, 2018 by Ruder Ware Alumni
Some recent changes in federal law and in federal agency interpretation of federal law may both clarify and relieve some regulatory obligations of health care providers. Lessening Dependence on Federal Agency Interpretations of Federal Law In late January, a high ranking official of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) told DOJ litigators they can no […]
Posted on March 8, 2018 by Ruder Ware Alumni
I recently did a blog about obesity as a disability under the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act. I concluded that the condition of obesity did not automatically constitute a disability although courts could find that an employer discriminated against an obese person if it perceived the person to be adversely impacted by the obese condition and […]
Posted on March 7, 2018 by Mary Ellen Schill
It is unusual for the IRS to implement a retroactive change to a previously announced limit (whether it be qualified plan limits or HSA limits). Especially when the change is a reduction in the amount that taxpayers can save/contribute. But who would disagree that 2018 has been a bit unusual. On March 5, 2018 the […]
Posted on March 6, 2018 by Ruder Ware Alumni
A recent decision from the State of California has held that obesity is considered a protected disability under California law if the condition of obesity is caused by a psychological condition. This gave me pause to wonder whether obesity would be considered a disability under the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act. It appears there is really […]
Posted on February 26, 2018 by Ruder Ware Alumni
If you navigate to the American Hospital Association (AHA) Interactive Town Hall of January 17, 2018, you can view a video in which Seema Verma, the current Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, discusses some of the efforts currently underway at CMS to ease the burden of applicable regulations through the Medicare […]
Posted on February 20, 2018 by Ruder Ware Alumni
The opioid epidemic is different than other drug related social problems because, in many cases, addiction to opioids starts in the medical office or in the pharmacy; in most cases through the treatment of legitimate physical pain and often chronic pain. As such, the marketing practices of companies who manufacture, market, and distribute these highly […]
Posted on February 20, 2018 by Ruder Ware Alumni
A number of companies have adopted social media policies that address the types of things employees can post on social media even if it is the employee’s private social media page. While companies have the right to protect their reputation and their business information, the way businesses monitor and possibly use private social media posts […]
Posted on February 16, 2018 by Amy E. Ebeling
On January 18, 2018, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency released guidance on the accounting implications of the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act (the “Act”) signed into law on December 22, 2017. The guidance provides information on the […]