While much of the public attention this year on healthcare budget negotiations in New York State was drawn to the pharmaceutical and managed care sectors, the Enacted Budget for 2018-19 also includes some very significant reforms in the long term care space. Continuing its ongoing efforts
Continue Reading Fewer Home Care Providers, But More Assisted Living Programs: Long Term Care Reforms in 2018-19 New York State Budget
In the wee hours of the morning on March 30, almost two days ahead of the April 1 deadline, the Legislature passed and the Governor signed a $168.3 billion State Budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year. The Enacted Budget maintains a self-imposed cap of 2% on spending increases, and averts
Continue Reading 2018-19 New York State Healthcare Budget
As we’ve discussed in previous blog posts, marijuana, whether used for medicinal or recreational purposes, is classified as a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The CSA prohibits the manufacturing, distributing, dispensing or possession of certain controlled substances, including marijuana and marijuana-based products and services. In addition, the CSA makes it unlawful to sell, offer for
Continue Reading NYS Senator Gillibrand To Co-Sponsor Marijuana Justice Act
Filefax, Inc. (“Filefax”), an Illinois company that intimately handled sensitive Personal Health Information (“PHI”), paid $100,000 to the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”). The payment stemmed from, when still in business, Filefax allegedly improperly disclosing the PHI of approximately 2,150 people when not properly securing
Continue Reading Healthcare Business Owners—HIPAA Still Applies After Closing Down Your Business
New York is currently taking steps to investigate the possible legalization of recreational marijuana in New York.
In July 2017 we talked about the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (“MRTA”), S.3040B/A.3506B, in Medical Marijuana 101: The State of the Law in NY. At that time, the bill, which seeks to regulate the growth, taxation, and distribution of recreational marijuana
Continue Reading New York May Consider Recreational Marijuana Legalization
Just as everyday Americans were preparing their lives for a second United States government shutdown since the turn of the New Year, President Donald J. Trump signed into law a bipartisan (well, as bipartisan as it gets with this Congress) budget deal, focusing on some of the core issues facing us today and, in particular, those directly impacting healthcare.
Continue Reading Second 2018 Government Shutdown, Congressional Budget Deal and Healthcare
Despite numerous states having legalized medical marijuana, and a handful of others having legalized marijuana for recreational use, it still remains impossible to obtain a U.S. federal trademark registration for marijuana products or related goods or services. 
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the federal agency charged with granting U.S. patents and registering trademarks. The USPTO registers trademarks
Continue Reading Federal v. State Trademark Registration for Marijuana-Related Goods and Services
On January 5, 2018, the United States Department of Health and Human Services released for public comment a draft Trusted Exchange Framework, which seeks to accomplish interoperability with respect to patients’ Electronic Health Information (“EHI”) through the creation of Health Information Networks (“HINs”). The 21st Century Cures Act, which Congress enacted in 2016, has the goal of creating
Continue Reading What are Your Thoughts on the Draft Trusted Exchange Framework?
As we previously discussed in Medical Marijuana 103: Patient and Practitioner Regulations in New York State, practitioners in New York must be registered with the New York State Department of Health (“DOH”) in order to certify patients for medical marijuana use. The DOH maintains a list of registered practitioners on its website, however such list is woefully incomplete. As
Continue Reading Bill Requires Public Disclosure of Medical Marijuana Practitioners
Stemming from the recent drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan, which has had life-lasting effects for many of its residents, including children, due to unsafe lead-related toxicity levels in the drinking water, New York State Governor, Andrew M. Cuomo, announced that various New York municipalities were awarded $20 million dollars in the aggregate to replace lead service lines as part
Continue Reading Learning a Lesson from Flint: New York State Takes Important Steps to Ensure Clean Drinking Water