Mel Soliz Earns 2024 Volunteer of the Year Award & Highlights Key Patient Privacy Issues at National Panel

Partner Mel Soliz was recently honored as the 2024 Volunteer of the Year at the Sequoia Project annual meeting, recognizing her exceptional contributions of time and expertise. Mel also joined a national panel to expand upon her efforts and impact on patient privacy and consent. The panel, comprised of Mel and four other health information experts, explored strategies to better align the benefits of health data exchange with a critical need to protect patient privacy. Their discussion addressed the growing tension between the rising value of health data and evolving privacy expectations while emphasizing solutions that align both priorities. Mel’s regulatory practice focuses on compliance with data privacy, access and interoperability laws (such as the Information Blocking Rule and CMS interoperability mandates as well as state mini-interoperability...

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Mel Soliz Explains Impact of CARES Act Final Rule Changes at National Health Care Meeting

At the eHealth Exchange Annual Meeting, Partner Mel Soliz discussed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) modified regulations for substance use disorder (SUD) patient records (see 42 CFR Part 2 or Part 2) and their impact of health information exchange. These changes aim to better align the Part 2 regulations with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), with the compliance deadline set for February 16, 2026. eHealth Exchange, the nation’s oldest and largest health care information network, supports data exchange for more than 250 million patients and facilitates around 21 billion transactions annually. Recognized for its governance, transparency, and commitment to privacy, the organization is a leader in advancing interoperability. A nationally recognized attorney in health data privacy and interoperability, Mel works...

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Kristen Rosati Co-Authors National Cancer Institute Article on Public-Private Partnerships in Cancer Research

The Journal of the National Cancer Institute recently published an article co-authored by Partner Kristen Rosati on the benefits and drawbacks of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in cancer research and the development of strategies to rapidly advance therapeutic innovations. With Kristen’s unique legal insight complementing the perspectives of researchers and oncologists, the article examined opportunities for collaboration between government agencies, research institutions, universities, and pharmaceutical companies. The article comes after Kristen was on the planning committee for and participated in a 2023 workshop on the same topic held by the National Cancer Policy Forum and the Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation Considered one of the nation’s leading “Big Data” and HIPAA compliance attorneys, Kristen has deep experience in data governance and strategy, data sharing for research and...

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Austin Yost Featured in ASU Alumni News Article for Advocacy on Abortion Access Ballot Initiative

The Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University (ASU) featured Austin Yost in a recent article about alumni paving the way for democracy during the 2024 election season. Austin, who earned a J.D. from ASU in 2017, represented Arizona for Abortion Access (AAA), the political action committee that sponsored Proposition 139, the statewide ballot initiative that established a fundamental right to abortion in Arizona’s Constitution. To secure Prop 139’s placement on the ballot, Austin helped draft the initiative, navigated ballot access complexities, and litigated cases for AAA involving Prop 139’s publicity pamphlet language and petition sheet description. Throughout his career, Austin has exhibited a passion for political law. He advises candidates, political action committees, nonprofit organizations, and others on issues involving ballot access, campaign...

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Mel Soliz Shares Insights on Evolving Interoperability Regulations at National Health Conference

At the Civitas Networks for Health Annual Conference, Partner Mel Soliz explored recent updates to the interoperability landscape and how they impact health information networks and exchanges (HIN/HIEs). Mel’s regulatory practice focuses on compliance with data privacy, access and interoperability laws (such as the Information Blocking Rule and CMS interoperability mandates as well as state mini-interoperability laws), health IT/technology service contracting, and HIN/HIEs (including national and state interoperability frameworks such as TEFCA, Carequality, CommonWell, DURSA, DxF and SCPA). She regularly speaks in local and national forums on these topics and has been active in state and federal policymaking on data privacy and HIE issues. She is the President of the Arizona Society of Healthcare Attorneys and is regularly lauded by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers, BTI Client...

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Kristen Rosati Shares Insights on Artificial Intelligence Governance & Regulatory Trends at Arizona Healthcare Conference

At the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association Leadership Conference, Partner Kristen Rosati discussed tips for good governance of health care organizations’ use of artificial intelligence (AI) and explored the current state of regulation of AI. In her presentation, Kristen provided an overview of federal executive orders and regulations and offered a look ahead at potential future regulation. Kristen also discussed that states are stepping into the gap created by the lack of a comprehensive AI law at the federal level. From data privacy to transparency requirements for AI use, many states are already implementing their own regulations, shaping how the country approaches this technology as a whole. Her insights underscored the need for health care organizations to stay ahead of these regulatory requirements. A sought-after national...

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