The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), signed into law on March 27, made some substantial changes to the confidentiality rules for substance abuse and mental health records to bring them in line with HIPAA confidentiality rules. Among the changes, a covered entity or business associate may now use or disclose substance

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), signed into law on March 18, provides for the right to two different types of leave: “public health emergency leave” under a section of the FFCRA called the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act, and paid sick time under a section of the FFCRA called the Emergency

On March 27, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an order requiring all “non-essential” construction in the State to shut down, with the exception of (i) emergency projects necessary to protect the health and safety of building occupants; and (ii) projects that would be unsafe to shut down when incomplete, which may continue until they

Several of the provisions in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) passed by the Senate on March 25 relate to laboratory diagnostic testing for the COVID-19 virus.

Within Division A of the CARES Act, titled “Keeping Workers Paid and Employed, Health Care System Enhancements, and Economic Stabilization,” there are four sections

Amidst concerns over the rapid spread of COVID-19, on March 24, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response Frank Yiannas issued a statement advising Americans that “there is no evidence of human or animal food or food packaging being associated with transmission of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.” Yiannas noted

On March 22, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced its first action against COVID-19 fraudsters: a civil complaint seeking an injunction ordering the website coronavirusmedicalkit.com to shut down while an investigation into the site’s operators continues. A more detailed discussion of the DOJ’s action may be found here.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released an updated edition of its Medicare Learning Network Telehealth Services booklet. The publication, targeted at Medicare fee-for-service providers, outlines Medicare’s telehealth reimbursement policies for 2020. There is also a short summary of the expanded telehealth benefits available to Medicare beneficiaries during the current COVID-19 outbreak,

Rivkin Radler has launched a Coronavirus Resource Center on the firm’s website. All of the firm’s COVID-19-related articles and blog posts, across our many practice groups, are now compiled in one place for easy reference. We’ll continue adding to the Resource Center as the pandemic continues.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has issued a number of Executive Orders aimed at temporarily facilitating the ability of healthcare professionals to practice in New York State and aid hospitals in the care and treatment of coronavirus patients. Gov. Cuomo has also been directly soliciting healthcare professionals from all forms of practice to supplement hospital

Responding to the Coronavirus public health emergency, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) has waived certain requirements of the Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), including requirements relating to the Stark Self-Referral Law (“Stark”), the HIPAA privacy regulations and the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). This action was taken