Given the significant push to vaccinate the public since the start of 2021, the increasing availability of vaccines, and the need to recruit additional personnel to administer vaccinations, the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has again amended its declaration under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) to accommodate some workforce barriers that had not been previously contemplated.
Health Law Scan
Legal Insights and Perspectives for the Healthcare Industry
It’s now been over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a public health emergency, ushering in monumental changes for telehealth regulation. If you’ve been following Health Law Scan, we hope our updates have provided some clarity to the everchanging regulatory healthcare framework and the legal issues that can vary across payers, across states, and even across countries.
We invite Health Law Scan readers to join Morgan Lewis for a sampling of upcoming webinars and speaking engagements featuring members of our healthcare industry team.
Our immigration team has been actively publishing resources as the Biden administration continues to make changes to existing immigration framework. These topics may be of importance to Health Law Scan readers, and we encourage you to access these publications below.
Members of our healthcare team recently published a LawFlash highlighting the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). ARPA provides $1.9 trillion in relief funding to address the COVID-19 pandemic, support the US economy, and provide relief for impacted Americans, and includes provisions specifically affecting healthcare providers remaining on the frontlines.
Members of our financial services and banking teams recently published a LawFlash discussing the Biden administration’s recent changes to the Paycheck Protection Program aimed at providing greater access to funds for small businesses in need and in underserved communities. The LawFlash highlights key provisions and guidance for businesses seeking to participate in the program before it officially expires on March 31, 2021 (pending any additional legislation from Congress).
Members of our labor and employment team published a LawFlash discussing the Biden administration’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) updated COVID-19 guidance. The LawFlash dives into the significant new guidance, including testing, quarantining, and mask-wearing. This may be of particular interest to Health Law Scan readers who are considering return to work issues.
On the heels of the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) Criminal Division Fraud Section releasing its annual Year in Review, our white collar team published a LawFlash discussing the report, which highlights DOJ’s sustained aggressive enforcement efforts despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
The US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and other federal regulators have grown increasingly concerned about the use of telehealth technologies by perpetrators of various fraud schemes. While this is in part due to the meteoric rise in use of telehealth services during the past year and the need to quickly formalize permanent policy around the technology, the federal government’s concern extends well before the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE).
Our labor and employment team recently published a LawFlash covering the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s new employer guidance on workplace safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. This new guidance, released on January 29, recommends that employers implement a COVID-19 prevention program, explores key measures for limiting the spread of COVID-19, and highlights other new and noteworthy recommendations.