Health Care Law Blog
On August 17, 2012, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced that they will hold a joint public workshop addressing insurers’ use of most-favored-nation clauses (“MFNs”). The all-day workshop will be held on September 10, 2012 in Washington DC and will be in-person, free and open to the public. At the workshop, the agencies intend “to explore the use of MFN clauses and the implications for antitrust enforcement and policy.” The workshop will also include a series of panel discussions examining the legal treatment of MFNs, the economic theories concerning MFNs, and their impact upon the health care industry.
For health care managers, there are a number of available options and strategies to consider when planning for retirement. In addition to traditional employer plans, an exempt health care provider may also offer supplemental plan options to its managers and highly compensated employees. Taking advantage of such benefits may prove to be a wise investment decision for health care managers.
Recently in the case of Mayo Collaborative Services v Prometheus Laboratories, Inc., the Supreme Court of the United States found two patents invalid because they claimed subject matter that was not patentable. The patents in this case covered processes that help doctors who use thiopurine drugs to treat patients with autoimmune diseases determine whether a given dosage was too high or too low.
It is now widely accepted that planning for retirement is vitally important. However, many business owners, including physicians, fail to properly plan for the transition of their businesses upon the owner’s or primary physician's retirement. In fact, lack of succession planning is one of the most common reasons small medical practices fail. In order to avoid such a result in your practice, please consider the following succession planning tips:
