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New HIPAA Privacy Rule Guidance

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 12.04.02

The Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Civil Rights (OCR) has released a 100+ page guidance document on the HIPAA Privacy Rule. The guidance document discusses a broad array of topics in a Q&A format. OCR is the agency responsible for enforcing the Privacy Rule, so this guidance provides useful insight about the government's approach to some of the Privacy Rule's "hot topics". For example, OCR states that physicians with hospital staff privileges need not enter into business associate contracts with the hospital, because joint physician-hospital activities fall under the definition of "organized health care arrangement".

Insights

Client Alert | 6 min read | 03.26.24

California Office of Health Care Affordability Notice Requirement for Material Change Transactions Closing on or After April 1, 2024

Starting next week, on April 1st, health care entities in California closing “material change transactions” will be required to notify California’s new Office of Health Care Affordability (“OHCA”) and potentially undergo an extensive review process prior to closing. The new review process will impact a broad range of providers, payers, delivery systems, and pharmacy benefit managers with either a current California footprint or a plan to expand into the California market. While health care service plans in California are already subject to an extensive transaction approval process by the Department of Managed Health Care, other health care entities in California have not been required to file notices of transactions historically, and so the notice requirement will have a significant impact on how health care entities need to structure and close deals in California, and the timing on which closing is permitted to occur....