The Health Lawyer - February 2020

    Vol. 32 No. 3  

    Media & Communications

    Chair's Column: Addressing our Loneliness Epidemic

    By John H McEniry IV, Fagron North America, Fairhope, AL

    I recently ran across a compelling article titled “America's Loneliness Epidemic: A Hidden Systemic Risk to Organizations.” The article was written by Michael Lee Stallard, who is the President and Cofounder of Connection Culture Group. In the article, Mr. Stallard discusses the risks to individuals and organizations associated with the growing lack of social connections developed between individuals, as well as the steps that some organizations are taking to address this issue.

    Featured Articles

    Health

    Analyzing the First Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (EKRA) Enforcement Action and Its Application to Federal and State False Claims Statutes

    By Patrick Ouellette, Esq., Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, Boston, MA and Rachel V. Rose, Esq. Attorney at Law, Houston, TX

    Until now, discussions around the scope of Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act of 2018 (EKRA) 18 U.S.C. § 220 enforcement have been strictly theoretical due to a lack of public enforcement actions. Theresa C. Merced’s guilty plea to one count of an EKRA violation on January 10, 2020 is believed to be the first of its kind and has finally shed some initial light on how regulators view the federal law.