Partner Mel Soliz recently moderated a panel at the Sequoia Project’s Annual Meeting to share insights on the evolving challenges of privacy and consent within health information exchange networks and trust frameworks. The panel session, “Moving Toward Computable Consent: The Future of Privacy in Health Information Exchange,” examined the need for collaborative approaches to implement granular consent while leveraging new technologies to not only strengthen trust, but also empower individuals with greater control over their health data. Mel, along with two other leaders in health information policy and technology, framed the discussion with an overview of the legal landscapes, operational realities, and technical gaps that continue to impact an organization’s ability to honor patient privacy preferences in a consistent, scalable way. The Sequoia Project serves as an advocate for...

Read MoreRead More

The State Bar of Arizona recently invited Mel Soliz and Amita Sanghvi to provide fellow lawyers with a clear breakdown of today’s health information law landscape. Their session offered a strong foundational overview of key regulations and how they are enforced, leaving attorneys with actionable strategies to incorporate into their practice. Their presentation, entitled “Demystifying Health Information Laws for Attorneys,” focused on the unique legal landscape surrounding using and disclosing health information — exploring HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2, Information Blocking, and relevant state laws, with an emphasis on spotting compliance issues and understanding the rules for using, sharing, and protecting patient health information. Mel and Amita closed the session with interactive scenarios, allowing attorneys to apply their new knowledge in real time. Mel’s regulatory practice focuses...

Read MoreRead More

Despite recent defense-friendly cases, Arizona juries have still shown that they are more than willing to award punitive damages in high profile litigation, making it critically important for attorneys to fully understand the contours of state and federal punitive damages law.  To help attorneys keep pace with these developments, the State Bar of Arizona tapped Partner Malvika Sinha to co-lead a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) course with fellow litigators Rob Carey of Hagens Berman and Bennett Cooper of Dickinson Wright. The course, entitled “Punitive Damages AZ ’25: How? How Bad? How Much?” outlined the nature and ramifications of due process and common law limitations on punitive damages, as well as real-world implications to consider at the pre-trial and trial stages. Malvika educated attorneys on timely issues surrounding...

Read MoreRead More

Arizona Capitol Times has selected Partner Andy Gaona for its first-ever Power 50 list, honoring him as one of the state’s most impactful leaders. Comprised of 50 individuals who hold the power to shape Arizona’s political and civic landscape, the list spans the full spectrum of statewide influence — from policymakers and legal professionals to community advocates — recognizing those who move Arizona forward. Andy has been at the forefront of many of Arizona’s most important issues, recently spending two years working with major abortion rights groups to advance the Abortion Access Act and enshrine abortion protections into the Arizona Constitution. This effort gained widespread visibility following the Arizona Supreme Court’s opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Mayes, where he represented Planned Parenthood and presented oral arguments...

Read MoreRead More

Partner Kristen Rosati recently joined a panel to assess newly discovered vulnerabilities in token-based methods used to de-identify health information. The discussion, hosted by HealthVerity, was prompted by an October article published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, which revealed critical weaknesses in common privacy-preserving record linkage techniques. The panelists explored which tokens appear most susceptible to re-identification attacks. The discussion also outlined practical risk mitigation strategies and emerging innovations aimed at strengthening privacy architecture to support more secure, compliant data exchange. In addition to Kristen, the panel included Andrew Kress, CEO of HealthVerity; Austin Eliazar, PhD, Chief Data Scientist at HealthVerity; and Bradley Malin, PhD, Accenture Professor and Vice Chair for Research Affairs at Vanderbilt Medical Center. HealthVerity, a technology company that provides one...

Read MoreRead More

In a collaborative session hosted by Zen Healthcare IT, Partner Mel Soliz outlined essential best practices for implementing Individual Access Services (IAS) within the parameters of the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA). In the presentation, “IAS Under TEFCA: What Vendors, Providers and HIEs Need to Know,” Mel unpacked the real-world implications behind TEFCA policy. Mel highlighted common pitfalls that could derail TEFCA implementation while offering guidance on navigating emerging requirements related to consent, data segmentation, and sustainability. Mel also shared often-overlooked compliance implications. Mel’s regulatory practice focuses on compliance with data privacy, access, and interoperability laws, health IT/technology service contracting, and HIN/HIEs. She regularly speaks in local and national forums on these topics and has been active in state and federal policymaking on data privacy...

Read MoreRead More