Physician Law Blog

At the end of April, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), through the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), issued a Final Rule to modify the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule to support reproductive health care privacy. This is one of many actions taken by HHS in response to the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs. This update comes at a critical time when reproductive rights are under intense scrutiny and varying state laws create a complex landscape for patients and providers.    

Missouri lawmakers are proposing several bills which would provide liability defenses as it relates to COVID-19, including Senate Bill 42 and Senate Bill 51. Attorney David Vaughn offers insight into both bills.

Health care providers on the front-lines of the battle against COVID-19 should be provided every weapon that can be mustered. This includes protection from lawsuits while fighting this deadly, insidious and invisible foe.  However, health care providers must temper their reliance on the recently enacted laws, executive orders or declarations of civil immunity, as they are not a cloak of unassailable malpractice PPE as reported in the news media