As of February 16, 2026, all covered entities under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) that receive or maintain substance use disorder (SUD) patient records were required to update their notice of privacy practices (NPP) to include information addressing the modified confidentiality of SUD patient records regulations, known as Part 2. Specifically,…Read More
A version of this article was published by The Daily Record on June 22, 2026. The Maryland General Assembly’s 2026 Legislative Session concluded with the enactment of many health care laws that will impact health care facilities, providers, insurers, and patients in the State. Here are some of the highlights from the 2026 Session. Health Care Facility Operations and…Read More
AI is everywhere, and in many cases, it is an advantage actively to incorporate AI into daily life. But, by choosing to engage with large language models, such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and others, you could be giving up the significant legal protection of attorney-client privilege. Attorney-client privilege protects certain communications between a client and…Read More
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) contains a requirement that most private health insurance plans and Medicaid expansion programs must cover certain preventive services without cost-sharing. These preventive services include those services recommended by the United States Preventive Services Preventive Task Force (USPSPT) with a grade of A or B, vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee…Read More
Under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code as it currently exists, there are minimal protections for residents of a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) when a CCRC files for bankruptcy protection. Executory Contracts Residents of a CCRC typically pay substantial entrance or buy-in fees as part of their agreement to secure housing and care services. However, these…Read More
In U.S. v. Skrmetti, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s law banning certain gender-affirming medical treatments for minors. The decision grants states significant discretion to regulate such treatments regardless of a medical provider’s determination that such a course of action is medically appropriate. SB1 In 2023, Tennessee passed SB1, which prohibits the use of puberty blockers…Read More
In the Spring of 2025, two federal courts issued decisions interpreting the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), with one court narrowing the conduct that is prohibited while the other court refused to do so. Generally, the AKS prohibits paying remuneration in exchange for inducing referrals for services or items covered by federal health care programs, such…Read More
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) became law on July 4, 2025. The OBBBA has a broad reach over many areas of the government and the economy, including several provisions that impact health care providers. Many of the health care provisions either increase or decrease overall federal health care spending, and Congress framed those…Read More
The Maryland General Assembly’s 2025 legislative Session concluded with the enactment of many health care laws that will impact health care facilities, providers, insurers, and patients in the State. Here are some of the highlights from the 2025 Session. Artificial Intelligence A new law was enacted concerning the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by certain…Read More
Ozempic® is the band name of one of the increasingly available glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, created to treat Type 2 diabetes but increasingly used to promote extreme weight loss. GLP-1s include semaglutide (brand names Ozempic®, Wegovy®, and Rybelsus®) and tirzepatide (brand names Monjaro® and Zepbound®), two drugs that, until recently, were on the Food…Read More