Andy Gordon Shares Insight on Border Wall Construction Timeline with Fox 10

In light of Congress’s failed attempt to overturn President Trump’s national emergency regarding the border wall, Fox 10 called upon Andy Gordon to discuss the wall’s potential construction timeline. Andy explained that in the first year of President Trump’s administration, funding for an additional 12 miles of the wall was approved but has not been built. He speculated that this situation will play out in a similar fashion, remaining caught up in the courts for months or even years. One of Arizona’s foremost experts in election and political law, Andy previously served as Counsel to the General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he primarily assisted with security issues at the Southwestern border – including the construction of the current fence – and Guantanamo. He is noted as one of the nation’s premier...

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Kristen Rosati on Planning Committee for National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Workshop on Data Sharing

Kristen Rosati Discusses Impact of OCR’s Potential Changes to HIPAA with Healthcare Risk Management

As one of the nation’s leading “Big Data” and HIPAA compliance attorneys, Kristen Rosati was asked to share her insights on the impact of potential HIPAA changes on health care organizations in an article for Healthcare Risk Management. Kristen joined fellow legal experts to discuss the Office for Civil Rights’ (OCR) recent Request for Information, which sought input on how HIPAA could be changed to further improve healthcare. She noted that potential changes would affect how health care organizations handle patient data and manage care, such as including nontraditional providers and social service agencies in data sharing, and making it easier for family members and caregivers to access certain information about patients. Other changes would hinder data sharing, such as requiring health care organizations to provide extensive documentation on the disclosure of patient health records for...

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Andy Gordon Discusses the Impact of Trump’s Border Wall with CBS 5

As President Trump asserts that a wall will reduce drug trafficking and illegal immigration across the Southwestern border, CBS 5 called upon Andy Gordon to discuss the potential impact of such a wall. Recent discoveries by Mexican police have confirmed that drug smugglers have tunneled beneath the 25-foot border fence in Nogales, Mexico, circumventing the wall altogether. Others hide drugs in produce shipments and drive them through ports of entry. In Yuma, footage has surfaced of people jumping the fence. Andy notes that the areas where a border wall would be most effective already have a fence in place. The remaining land is mostly privately-owned land that the government would need to confiscate via lengthy legal proceedings. He says that while a wall seems like a logical solution, it won’t halt drug trafficking, crime, or immigration, and...

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Karen Owens Breaks Down Documentation Needs in Peer Review Processes with Hospital Peer Review

Karen Owens discussed the importance of proper documentation in the healthcare peer review process in an interview with Hospital Peer Review magazine. While some believe that keeping broad records of peer review meetings is sufficient, Karen recommends taking a more detailed approach, explaining that more substantial meeting minutes can provide proof that certain issues or topics were discussed if adversarial proceedings arise. However, meeting minutes shouldn’t be a full transcript of the meeting, which may cause unnecessary concern or retract from the issue at hand. Each hospital will have its own protocol for peer review meeting documentation, and Karen stresses the importance of finding the balance that works best for the individual facility – and its peer review committee. She also recommends that legal counsel review meeting...

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Scott Bennett Shares Tips to Reduce Risk, Comply with New Cybersecurity Law in Az Business

Az Business magazine called upon Scott Bennett to discuss the business impact of Arizona’s latest cybersecurity law in its September issue. The law, which went into effect in August, requires companies to notify consumers affected by a data breach within 45 days of the breach. Companies that don’t comply face up to $500,000 in fines. If more than 1,000 Arizonans are affected, the company must notify the attorney general and the nation’s three major consumer reporting agencies. Scott shared common situations that cause data breaches, noting that the new law is meant to penalize companies with poor cyber data management and ensure they implement better security practices. Scott has extensive experience assisting clients with information privacy and security. He helps clients avoid data breaches by assessing and improving...

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Karen Owens Discusses Negligent Credentialing with Hospital Peer Review

Karen Owens shared her expertise in medical staff credentialing with Hospital Peer Review, a leading publication for hospital quality managers across the nation. Karen shared possible outcomes of lawsuits relating to negligent credentialing of non-employed medical staff members, noting that there are certain situations in which aggrieved patients may have a case against a hospital. She also provided best practices for hospitals to protect themselves against such legal action. She explains that confidentiality rules for the peer review and credentialing processes can make it difficult for hospitals to defend themselves against a negligent credentialing claim, illustrating how various internal review processes may be interpreted differently by a jury than by hospital staff. Karen represents health care systems, hospitals, clinics, and other providers in matters of quality management, medical...

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