The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced that its development of a Final Breach Notification Rule (currently, the rule is in interim final form) has been stalled, as the final rule was withdrawn from consideration of the Office of Management and Budget in order for HHS to give further consideration to what the final rule should include. HHS has remained relatively quite regarding the development of a Final Breach Notification Rule, but has announced that it intends for a final rule to be published "in the coming months."… Continue Reading
The new UK Coalition Government has released its much publicized White Paper "Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS", outlining far reaching proposals to reform the healthcare system in the UK over the next four years.
With further consultations, reports and primary legislation promised and set out step by step in a formal structural reform plan, the detail of the proposals is currently very high level. The stated objectives are ambitious and if instituted will have a far reaching effect on both the way the British public access the health system and the role of the private sector in UK healthcare, increasing opportunities for involvement of private providers of both clinical and support services in the provision of healthcare to NHS patients.… Continue Reading
On July 17, 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW) published its final regulations for assisted living residences (ALRs) operating within the Commonwealth. 40 Pa.B. 4073. The final-form regulations were drafted to fulfill the statutory requirements of Act 56, which was enacted by the Pennsylvania General Assembly on July 25, 2007 and amended the statute regulating and licensing personal care homes by creating, defining and providing for the licensing and regulation of ALRs.… Continue Reading
HHS has just released its proposed rule modifying the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Enforcement Rules to implement the privacy, security, and certain enforcement provisions of subtitle D of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (Title XIII of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009). The advance version of the rule can be accessed here; the official version will be published July 14. A press release should be available later this morning.… Continue Reading
In April 2010, Reed Smith provided an extensive analysis of the recently-enacted health reform legislation, H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), as amended by H.R. 4872, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Reconciliation Act). In this analysis, we concentrate on those provisions in the new law that will … Continue Reading