Insights

Washington – August 15, 2024: The 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® has recognized 42 Crowell & Moring lawyers as "Best Lawyers" and 29 lawyers as “Ones to Watch.”

Washington – June 6, 2024: Crowell & Moring earned 78 rankings for 67 lawyers, as well as 41 national and statewide practice area rankings, in the Chambers USA 2024 guide. The rankings are driven by independent interviews of clients and lawyers at peer firms.

On May 10, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) published a Final Rule that, for the first time, imposes national minimum nurse staffing requirements for nursing homes. Specifically, the standard adopted by CMS requires minimum staffing of 3.48 hours per resident day (“HPRD”), as discussed in more detail below. CMS estimates that the new requirements will cost facilities $43 billion over the next 10 years, which is more than the $40.6 billion cost that CMS estimated for Proposed Rule of 3.0 HPRD. Some industry sources estimate that less than 25% of nursing facilities across the country currently meet the full scope of staffing standards laid out in CMS’ Final Rule due to a myriad of factors including labor shortages and increasing wage pressures. Indeed, the impact and cost of these staffing requirements will vary significantly by state. For example, CMS reported that at least one state will need to increase certain staff by nearly 96% to meet the minimum standards, while other states already meet the requirements.

In the latest sign that federal enforcers remain focused on increasing antitrust enforcement, last Thursday, the Justice Department (DOJ), Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) revealed an online portal, HealthyCompetition.gov, to encourage the public to submit reports on potential anticompetitive and monopolistic conduct in the healthcare sector.  The initiative seeks to address concerns that such behavior may affect healthcare affordability and quality, and employee wages. 

On September 1, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued a much anticipated and contested proposed rule that seeks to establish minimum staffing level requirements for nursing homes.  The proposed rule represents the first time the federal government has proposed comprehensive nationwide nursing home staffing requirements, although various states have already enacted their own staffing requirements.

Our global population is growing and aging. Next-generation healthcare is turning to disruptive technologies to improve patient outcomes, increase access, and reduce costs. At this Boundless Impact Investing workshop, we will discuss the latest investment strategies and business models that are generating high returns and significantly improving patient health. Learn from top funds and industry experts as they explain technologies transforming healthcare delivery in neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, nutrition & diabetes, and addiction.

Rates of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) are at an all-time high in the U.S. and public funding is not expected to cover even a fraction of what is needed. Private capital is urgently needed, and for-profit companies are creating data-driven diagnostics and therapeutics to identify and treat OUD patients in more targeted ways. Doug Leslie, PhD, Director of the Center for Applied Studies in Health Economics, Penn State University, Keri Donaldson, CEO & Medical Director, Prescient Medicine and Joy Sun, Co-Founder & COO, Groups, will shed light on which technologies and companies are gaining the most traction in OUD diagnosis and treatment.

Last week, President Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the "CARES Act"), establishing the largest aid package in our nation’s history. The $2 trillion law, enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, aims to support individuals and companies during this period of unprecedented economic disruption – and it has important implications for the nonprofit community.