Jill Chasson Highlights Need for Anti-Harassment, Conflict of Interest Policies in Arizona Capitol Times

In Business Taps Jill Chasson to Highlight New Overtime Rules

While many people were ringing in the new year with champagne and fireworks, businesses in Arizona and across the nation were rolling out compensation changes driven by the Department of Labor’s new overtime rules, which went into effect Jan. 1. Jill Chasson shared insight on these updates with In Business, providing an overview of the changes and tips for complying. Jill explained that the new rules increased the minimum salary requirement for exempt employees – the first update in 15 years – and increased the exemption salary threshold for highly compensated employees. She encouraged businesses to evaluate employees’ roles carefully, working with legal and human resources professionals to reclassify employees as needed. Jill noted that newly non-exempt employees may be paid hourly instead of by salary, must track their...

Read MoreRead More
Melissa Soliz Discusses Information Blocking in SHIEC Webinar Series

Melissa Soliz Breaks Down How Privacy Laws Prevent Effective Substance Use Treatment in Journal of Health Care Compliance

The opioid epidemic is a national crisis that kills approximately 130 people per day, according to the CDC. In an article for the Journal of Health Care Compliance, Melissa Soliz shared that while treatment for opioid addiction is expanding, outdated privacy laws are stymying treatment efforts.  Melissa provided an overview of 42 C.F.R. Part 2 (the federal Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Record regulations, known as Part 2), which was promulgated in the 1970s to protect the information of people seeking substance use disorder treatment. She explains the barriers Part 2 creates when health care providers need to access or share substance use disorder information protected by Part 2 for treatment, payment, public health activities, and ordinary health care operations. She also proposed solutions to fix the problem.  Melissa’s legal practice...

Read MoreRead More

Sam Coppersmith Co-Presents National Business Institute Webinar on Start-to-Finish Nonprofit Formation

Advising clients through the maze of eligibility requirements, bylaws, processing procedures, group exemptions, and other complexities of the 501(c)(3) application process can be challenging. In a recent National Business Institute (NBI) webinar, Sam Coppersmith shared tips for advising nonprofit clients through the application process.  Sam covered critical portions of the designation process, including: TCJA and other laws, rules, regs, and enforcement activities impacting nonprofits.Eligibility requirements and classifications.Establishing tax exempt status with the IRS. The webinar focused on the onerous requirements, step-by-step, and how to identify problematic issues to ensure clients successfully acquire nonprofit designation from the IRS. Sam has more than three decades of experience assisting local and national businesses and nonprofit entities as well as individuals and small businesses. He is a regular speaker for NBI, covering a range of...

Read MoreRead More
Melissa Soliz Discusses Information Blocking in SHIEC Webinar Series

Melissa Soliz Provides Guidance on HIPAA Compliance Training in Healthcare Risk Management Article

Even well-prepared health care organizations can experience HIPAA breaches. In an article for Healthcare Risk Management, Melissa Soliz shared tips on how organizations can effectively communicate HIPAA compliance requirements to employees, providing real-life examples of do’s and don’ts.  Melissa focuses on HIPAA and 42 C.F.R. Part 2 compliance, compliance with opioid treatment laws and regulations, health information exchange (including compliance with new information blocking rules), data breaches and OCR investigations, as well as clinical research compliance and contracting. Read the full article here. ...

Read MoreRead More

Kristen Rosati, Sam Coppersmith Recognized Among Top Arizona Executives in 2020 AzBusiness Leaders Publication

Partners Kristen Rosati and Sam Coppersmith were recognized among the state’s top executives in the 2020 AzBusiness Leaders publication. Kristen was recognized in the health care category. A nationally renowned health care lawyer with deep experience in all things Big Data, Kristen noted that health care continues to evolve at fast pace, with health care reform, federal and state regulatory updates, and developing technology.  These changes make it challenging for the law to keep up.  Sam was recognized in the nonprofit category. He has extensive experience assisting local and national businesses and nonprofits with transactional issues, business organization, governance, contract negotiation, land use, and business planning. He shared his top piece of professional advice, emphasizing how important it is for new lawyers to find the right place to work, and to not be afraid...

Read MoreRead More
Melissa Soliz Discusses Information Blocking in SHIEC Webinar Series

Melissa Soliz Contributes to American Health Lawyers Association’s Opioid Crisis and Prescribing Survey

The opioid epidemic has been declared a public health emergency. Attorney Melissa Soliz contributed to the American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA)’s recent “State Response to Opioid Crisis and Opioid Prescribing Requirements: A 50 State Survey,” a resource guide providing an overview and references regarding the opioid epidemic on a state-by-state basis.  Melissa and co-authors Benjamin Runkle of Gammage & Burnham and D’Arcy Downs-Vollbracht of Concierge Legal Group, PLLC, highlighted the results of efforts to combat the opioid epidemic in Arizona, such as the Arizona Opioid Epidemic Act of 2018, opioid prescribing and treatment regulations, pain management clinic regulations, and opioid-poisoning related reporting regulations.  Melissa focuses on HIPAA and 42 C.F.R. Part 2 compliance, compliance with opioid treatment laws and regulations, health information exchange (including compliance with new information blocking rules),...

Read MoreRead More