Legal & Regulatory Issues

Atlanta-based Emory Healthcare is facing a class-action lawsuit over a data breach that occurred in April, when the system lost 10 discs containing personal information for roughly 315,000 patients, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution report.

The Department of Health and Human Services has missed 47 percent of the legal deadlines for regulations within the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to a report from the American Action Forum.

Yesterday, the New Hampshire House of Representatives passed a compromise version of a bill that would let patients who suffer medical injuries receive a capped settlement from a medical provider within a certain timeframe, according to a Union Leader report.

The $248 million expansion planned by West Virginia University Hospitals in Morgantown will be further delayed as the certificate of need hearing is rescheduled for July, according to a WBOY report.

On the campaign trail Wednesday, GOP candidate Mitt Romney said President Obama "knowingly slowed down" the economic recovery in an effort to focus on healthcare reform, according to a Hill report.

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on a bill today that would repeal a 2.3 percent excise tax on medical devices, part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act set to kick beginning January 2013.

Premier healthcare alliance has launched PremierConnect, a technology platform that will allow more than 100,000 hospital executives, clinicians, supply chain leaders and other providers nationwide to share data and strategies based on patient outcomes.

Charlotte, N.C.-based Carolinas HealthCare System has reached an out-of-court settlement with Mecklenburg County in North Carolina, resolving a lawsuit the system filed in July, according to a Charlotte Business Journal report.

CMS has finalized its decision to change the supervision requirement for 27 hospital outpatient therapeutic services from direct supervision to general supervision, according to an AHA News Now report.

If the Supreme Court decides that parts of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are unconstitutional but other parts are okay to keep, House Republicans feel Congress will have a "mess" on its hands, according to a Hill report.