Malvika Sinha Instructs State Bar of Arizona CLE Course on the Practical Implications of Punitive Damages

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...

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Kristen Rosati Examines New Token-Based Data Privacy Weaknesses in HealthVerity Panel Discussion

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...

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Mel Soliz Joins Zen Healthcare IT to Discuss Best Practices for IAS Implementation Under TEFCA

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...

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Mel Soliz & Amita Sanghvi Train Local Behavioral Health Advocates in Navigating Patient Confidentiality

During the Eric Gilberston Advocacy Institute for Behavioral Health’s annual training program, Mel Soliz and Amita Sanghvi guided case managers and other community members interested in mental health advocacy through the nuances of sharing health information with loved ones involved in patient care. 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. Amita advises on HIPAA compliance, privacy, cybersecurity, and...

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Amita Sanghvi Examines Federal Court Decision Vacating HIPAA Reproductive Health Privacy Regulations

A federal court’s ruling to overturn the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) HIPAA reproductive health privacy protections has left many organizations uncertain over future compliance and patient data obligations. In response, Coppersmith Brockelman attorney and longtime Senior Attorney with the HHS Office of General Counsel Amita Sanghvi authored an article for the Arizona Society for Healthcare Attorneys (AzSHA) breaking down this ruling and its implications for regulated entities. The court’s decision in Purl v. HHS, N.D. Tex., 2:24-CV-228-Z, vacated the “HIPAA Privacy Rule to Support Reproductive Health Care Privacy,” (the 2024 Rule) that would have expanded restrictions on disclosing protected health information related to reproductive health care. While HHS did not appeal the ruling, a group of proposed intervenors did. Meanwhile, HHS continued...

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Amita Sanghvi & Kristen Rosati Explain What Reproductive Privacy Ruling Means for Covered Entities

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas recently issued a nationwide injunction, vacating a federal rule that strengthened HIPAA privacy protections for reproductive health care information. While the decision eases compliance burdens for covered entities, it also removes the legal shelter the rule had provided around disclosures of sensitive reproductive health care data. In the latest Coppersmith Brief, “Federal Judge Vacates HIPAA Reproductive Health Care Privacy Rule," Amita Sanghvi and Kristen Rosati break down the court’s reasoning and explore the implications for HIPAA-covered organizations moving forward. Advising clients on health data privacy, cybersecurity, and digital health innovation, Amita served as a senior attorney at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) before returning to private practice. During her time at HHS, she...

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