The Question of the Week: Who Owns Your intellectual Property?

intellectual property law

intellectual property lawBy: Steven Boyne

THE FRACTIONAL GENERAL COUNSEL

This question is a redundant question, if it is my intellectual property, then by definition – I own it.  True, but this question raises important issues that employers need to worry about – ownership of intellectual property.  The general rule is that if your employees create intellectual property while they are working for you, the employer will own it.  So, for example, if your office manager takes some pictures around the office and creates personal bios of your employees and puts that information on your website then you own that information.  However, what if they created that information at night while they were not at work and technically you were not paying them?  Well, now we are getting into a greyer area.  So, my recommendation is to avoid this issue, by updating your HR manual to state that you own the intellectual property, and not your employees. Continue reading

7 Types of Business Insurances Medical Providers Should Consider

business insuranceBy: Steven Boyne

Let’s Talk Insurance. Beyond Malpractice insurance, what other insurance should I consider?

Every medical provider knows that you have to buy malpractice insurance, and they generally understand why they need it.  Another policy that every business has to have is Workers Compensation for their employees.  But beyond these two policies, what else should a business consider:Continue reading

Healthcare App Data Sharing – Do’s and Don’ts

healthcare app

healthcare appBy: Steven Boyne

I recently wrote an article titled The Top Five Legal Concerns When Developing a Healthcare App, and I received some follow up questions, including technical queries about encryption and data sharing.  To answer these questions, it is important to understand the current Healthcare App state of affairs.  Various reporters, governmental agencies and privacy watchdogs have installed and monitored the flow of data from Healthcare Apps installed on smart phones.  These journals, articles and enforcement actions taken together provide a roadmap for Do’s and Don’ts for the sharing of data.

Almost all Healthcare Apps are free and have some disclosures about how they share your data, and both iOS and Android require the user to give permission to the newly installed App, but who really pays attention to that?  Almost no one.  However, this doesn’t mean that an App developer shouldn’t embrace best practices to avoid liability and bad press.Continue reading

The Top 5 Legal Concerns When Developing a Healthcare App

creating a healthcare app

creating a healthcare appBy: Steven Boyne

Today no one can live without a smart phone, and we interact with the rest of the world through a series of apps that reside on our handheld devices.  From the healthcare perspective many large healthcare institutions and private companies have developed a myriad of healthcare related apps that currently reside in Apple’s App Store and  Googles Play Store.  You can measure your heart rate, get clinical advice, view your records, check on your health insurance coverage, make appointments and virtually interact with many different types of healthcare providers.  But even in today’s hyper-electronic society it took COVID-19 to really cause an explosion in telehealth, so what does that tell us?  There is a lot more room for expanding electronic interactions with patients and clients through Apps.  So, here are the top five legal concerns should you address when you develop a Healthcare App:Continue reading

The 3 Knocks Coming to your Healthcare Business’ Door Post-Pandemic: The Lawyers, The Regulators; and The Auditors

florida healthcare law firm audits after covidBy: Steven Boyne

When COVID-19 passes and the world begins to return to normal, you can be guaranteed that many of your old “friends” will come to visit you. To minimize future liability, pain and time, you should be preparing today for tomorrow’s visitors:

The Lawyers. Lawyers come in many flavors, and can bring good or bad news. Depending on your initial reaction to the pandemic, and your subsequent actions as the panic started to die down you may see three types of lawyers: (1) Those that represent past or present employees who have lost their job or contracted COVID-19; (2) Those that represent patients who claim malpractice based on the care that you did or did not deliver, and also those patients who assert that they contracted COVID-19 at your office; and finally (3) Those that represent creditors or debtors of your practice. The actions you should take today are many and varied and beyond the scope of this overview, however, you should be asking the following questions of yourself: (i) did you file a claim for business interruption despite the fact that your insurance broker said you were wasting your time? (ii) does your malpractice carrier cover you for liability outside of the normal scope of providing care? (iii) are your documenting your actions throughout the pandemic to demonstrate that you were acting reasonably at a time when you did not have all the facts? (iv) did you look at your business insurance policies for coverage for employee claims, or workers comp claims, or OSHA claims? (v) did you research what other similarly situated companies are doing, as you will most likely be held to the same standards? (vi) did you follow guidance from State and Federal entities? and (vii) did you provide notice during the pandemic to debtors or other parties who have breached their obligations?Continue reading

Attorney Steven Boyne Joins Florida Healthcare Law Firm in Delray Beach, Florida

florida healthcare law firm managed care attorneyJune 1, 2020 – Florida Healthcare Law Firms adds experienced attorney Steven Boyne to the team to assist with human resource law, corporate and transactional law, as well as telemedicine, healthcare tech and cyber breaches.

Florida Healthcare Law Firm has announced that they have added Steven Boyne to the team. Steven brings over twenty plus years experience working with different types of healthcare entities from Air Ambulances to large healthcare insurance companies, and everything in between. Steven specializes in areas including specific healthcare business human resource issues, telemedicine and HIPAA, strategic disaster planning for healthcare providers, business interruption insurance, health insurance and air ambulances.

“Positioning your healthcare business to be proactive is one of the most important things you can do. Who would have imagined we’d see a global pandemic in our lifetime? Being prepared for ‘interruptions’ help keep your business afloat when disaster strikes, especially when it comes to finances. Steven’s experience in large health insurance companies brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise that will help individual practitioners be just as prepared as the big guys. And, as technology grows in the healthcare industry, Steven is on board to help with his tech expertise,” Florida Healthcare Law Firm COO Autumn Piccolo says. Founder and President, Jeff Cohen, goes on to say that, “We advise many clients on telemedicine and telehealth laws. Steven’s passion for tech is a great addition for current and future clients. His unique firsthand knowledge on cyberbreaches, tech software and security systems is hyper-specific, which will benefit healthcare business owners.Continue reading

Avoiding HIPAA Violations During COVID-19

telehealth laws after covid-19

telehealth laws after covid-19By: Steven Boyne

The COVID-19 virus has and will probably continue to change the way healthcare providers and business associates interact and help their patients. As many providers are aware, a HIPAA violation is a serious issue, and can cost a healthcare entity large amounts of time and money to respond to any regulatory investigation. Recognizing that the COVID-19 pandemic has strained every corner of the economy and is THE MOST IMPORTANT issue for almost every industry, the federal government has rolled back some HIPAA protections. It is unclear how long these rollbacks will last, and it is possible that some of them may be permanent, but for now healthcare providers and their business associates can take some comfort that they can focus on delivering care and not dealing with overly burdensome regulations and investigations. The major changes include:

  • Telehealth. Changes include allowing physicians and other healthcare providers to offer telehealth services across State lines, so State licensing issues should not be a concern. Additionally, Providers are essentially free to choose almost any app to interact with their patients, even if it does not fully comply with the HIPAA rules. The HHS allows the provider to use their business judgment, but of course, such communications should NOT be public facing – which means DO NOT allow the public to watch or participate in the visit!
  • Disclosures of Protected Health Information (PHI). A good faith disclosure of such information will not be prosecuted. Examples include allowing a provider or business associate to share PHI for such purposes as controlling the spread of COVID-19, providing COVID-19 care, and even notifying the media, even if the patient has not, or will not grant his or her permission.
  • Business Associate Agreement (BAA). As most healthcare providers know, a BAA agreement between a provider and an entity that may have access to PHI is required by law. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of a BAA is not an automatic violation.

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Getting Back to a New Workplace Normal

By: Steven Boyne

As employers begin to consider opening their offices and bringing back their employees and inviting other people into their offices, such as patients, there are many issues that should be considered and planned for BEFORE the front door is opened.

Quick Legal Advice – COVID-19 is new to everyone, including Government regulators and plaintiff lawyers, so we are all learning as we go along. The best legal advice in these uncertain times is:

  1. Find out what other similar situated companies are doing, as you may be held to their standards;
  2. Find checklists and advice from well reputable entities;
  3. Document your decisions; and
  4. Communicate.

OPENING YOUR DOOR TO YOUR EMPLOYEES

As an employer you have a responsibility to provide a safe working environment, and as of today it is clear that the following is a minimal list of considerations:Continue reading

Maximizing COVID-19 Government Support Dollars

By: Steven Boyne

COVID-19 has devastated the US economy, including many parts of our Healthcare sector. The Federal Government, along with most States, have begun to respond with various financial incentives, ranging from straight out grants to loans, and everything in between. The following is an overview of some of the assistance that is currently available for the Healthcare community, along with some tips that may assist your company in applying, and what you need to do if you are lucky enough to receive some money:

The CARES Act

  • Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP”). Essentially a grant from the Federal Government for payroll, employee benefits, rent/mortgage, utilities for 8 weeks. This program is available for all small businesses, and is managed through banks and private financial institutions.

TIPS:

  • Apply with multiple financial institutions, and whoever comes through first take the loan/grant;
  • If you receive the money keep excellent records;
  • You can only use the money for W-2 employees, not 1099 contractors;
  • There are strict rules with respect to the number of employees, and their maximum salary. The NUMBER of employees before and after the loan is critical, not the actual employee, so if you laid off someone, you don’t have to hire back that particular person, you can use the money for a new employee who fills the same position; and
  • If you don’t use all the money for payroll etc, don’t worry, you can either pay it back in a lump sum, or pay it back over time at 1% interest.

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