February 16, 2026, is the deadline for each HIPAA covered entity to update its Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP) to incorporate new regulatory requirements enacted in 2024. Specifically, HIPAA-covered entities (including health care providers and health plans) are required to
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Medicare Part B Lab Spending Increased in 2024: Here’s what the Latest OIG Report Reveals
This post was co-authored by Paul Palma, legal intern at Robinson+Cole. Paul is not admitted to practice law.
Introduction
On January 28, 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a new report
Search Bars, Chatbots, and Tracking Pixels: Practical Steps Labs Can Take to Reduce CIPA Risk in 2026
Plaintiffs’ firms are adapting the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA), a 1960s-era wiretapping statute, to modern web technologies such as pixels, chatbots, and session replay tools. For laboratories, the practical problem is not only the legal uncertainty, but also
Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act – 2025 Updates and Looking to 2026
The Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (EKRA), enacted in 2018 as part of the SUPPORT Act, established a criminal statute prohibiting payments for patient referrals related to recovery homes, clinical treatment facilities, and laboratories. EKRA mostly mirrors the Anti-Kickback Statute
DOJ Enforcement of Clinical Laboratories: Trends from Q4 2025
This post was co-authored by Paul Palma, legal intern at Robinson+Cole. Paul is not admitted to practice law.
The final quarter of 2025 saw continued enforcement actions against clinical labs and other related healthcare entities. The Office of Inspector General
Song Remains the Same – Medicare Telehealth Services At Risk of Expiring Again on January 30, 2026
Healthcare providers are currently facing yet another termination of Medicare telehealth flexibilities at the end of the day on January 30, 2026, unless Congress acts on proposals to further extend the COVID-era flexibilities for telehealth. If no legislative action is
Massachusetts Governor Healey Announces New Department of Insurance Regulations Intended to Streamline Prior Authorization Practices
On January 14, 2026, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey announced that the Division of Insurance (DOI) will be promulgating updates to its regulations with the intent of streamlining prior authorization practices for health insurance claims. According to the Governor, the DOI
Government Withdraws Appeal in 340B Rebate Pilot Program Litigation, Signaling Shift
The recent litigation concerning the government’s 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program (the Rebate Program), as further described below, took an unexpected turn as the federal government recently signaled that it intended to revise its approach to the Rebate Program. This
DEA Extends Tele-Prescribing Flexibilities Yet Again – Now Through December 31, 2026 – to Avoid Telemedicine Cliff
On December 31, 2025, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) extended current regulatory flexibilities related to tele-prescribing of controlled substances for another year. The DEA issued a fourth temporary extension (2026 Extension) of its pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities, which
South Carolina Lab Settles False Claim Act Case – A Study on Commercial Reasonableness and Disguised Kickbacks
A clinical lab in Anderson, South Carolina, and its founder and CEO have agreed to pay a minimum of $6.8 million to settle a federal qui tam case based on allegations for paying illegal kickbacks to physicians in exchange for