BY Jordan T. Vogel, Esq. and Michael R. Alexander, Esq., Brown & Fortunato, P.C. In a recent development, a federal district court granted a request to preliminarily set aside and stay implementation of the Department of Education’s new definition of “professional degree.” As you may recall, the Department of Education recently defined the term “professional degree” to exclude certain health care fields, including nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists,...

By Rossanna J. Madrigal, JD, MPH and Michael R. Alexander, Esq. Brown & Fortunato, P.C. The 89th Texas Legislature passed two laws in its last session addressing the use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) in the health care space. Senate Bill 1188 took effect in September 2025 and House Bill 149 became effective at the first of this year. In this article, we summarize the main points of each of these laws and address some potential...

BY Blinn E. Combs, Esq. and Michael Alexander, Esq., Brown & Fortunato, P.C. A trial in Eugene, Oregon, is shining a national spotlight on the state’s new first-in-nation restrictive corporate practice of medicine law. In Stapleton v. PeaceHealth, Eugene Emergency Physicians (“EEP”) sued PeaceHealth, ApolloMD, and Lane Emergency Physicians, alleging violations of Oregon’s new restrictive 2025 statute (SB 951) prohibiting the corporate practice of medicine and placing direct restrictions on the control of management services...

BY Kianna Sitarski, Esq. and Michael Alexander, Esq., Brown & Fortunato, P.C.   In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the rise of healthcare costs, healthcare providers and patients alike have been focused on identifying safer and cheaper avenues for the delivery of high-quality healthcare. One model gaining traction since 2020 is Hospital at Home (“HAH”). HAH generally refers to programs by which hospitals admit, and provide eligible patients with, acute in-patient level...

BY Jordan T. Vogel, Esq., and Phuong D. Nguyen, Esq., Brown & Fortunato, P.C. Last year, we wrote about the information blocking provisions of the 21st Century Cures Act (“Cures Act”) and an available three-day exception to the Cures Act’s immediate electronic release requirements applicable to certain test results under Texas Senate Bill 922 (“SB 922”). To build on these concepts, this article addresses the scope of SB 922 and practical guidance for implementing electronic health...

BY Phuong D. Nguyen, Esq. and Michael R. Alexander, Esq., Brown & Fortunato, P.C.   In response to the recently adopted Doctor Act, the Texas Medical Board adopted new regulations designed to address physician shortages in Texas. The new Act and the new rules are aimed at providing new pathways to licensing foreign trained physicians and medical school graduates who do not match into a resident training program. Before digging into the statute and rules,...

BY Amanda F. Hobbs, Esq. and Michael Alexander, Esq., Brown & Fortunato, P.C.   October 1, 2025, kicked off the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, lasting 43 days total. Come January 30, 2026, we may be in for an even longer standoff should no bipartisan agreement come to fruition. So, what had lawmakers so riled up? And why might it happen again so soon?   To answer this question, we have to look at...

BY Michael R. Alexander, Esq., Brown & Fortunato, P.C. The passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) marks one of the most sweeping changes to U.S. healthcare policy in decades. Signed into law on July 4, 2025, the bill introduces over $1 trillion in cuts to federal healthcare programs, reshaping Medicaid, Medicare, and ACA Marketplace coverage. Proponents of the law argue it is aimed at reducing waste and improving efficiency. But some of...

BY Blinn E. Combs, Esq. and Michael R. Alexander, Esq., Brown & Fortunato, P.C.   On June 17, 2025, a little over two months after initiating large-scale layoffs at the agency, the federal Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) announced a new Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher (“CNPV”) program. The CNPV aimed to give voucher recipients the opportunity to shorten new drug approval timelines from 10-12 months down to 1-2 months. The program aims to address four...

BY Phuong D. Nguyen, Esq. and Michael R. Alexander, Esq., Brown & Fortunato, P.C.   Earlier this year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) published a Final Rule amending the standards for an “identified overpayment.” As a recap, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (the “Affordable Care Act”) requires that an overpayment be reported and returned by the later of 60 days after the date the overpayment was identified or...