Last week, Judge Rice denied Associated Industries Management Services and Associated Employers Trust motion to dismiss the Department of Labor lawsuit alleging breach of fiduciary duties under ERISA. The federal court later accepted the parties agreed extension of time required for Associated Industries to file an answer to the DOL complaint. The defendants will have until…
The Center for Children’s Digestive Health (CCDH) signed over a $31,000 check to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to settle HIPAA violations. CCDH freely provided nearly 11,000 records containing protected health information (PHI) to the company FileFax, Inc. for long-term storage. The issue is not that CCDH transferred the records but that…
This past legislative session, the Washington House of Representatives considered regulation of third party administrators (TPAs) as recommended by the state Insurance Commissioner. After some confusion over what the Commissioner intended and what should be amended, the bill died a quiet death in committee. Policymakers quickly discovered that TPA regulation had become a surrogate for indirectly addressing…
The Washington Insurance Commissioner has requested legislation for registration of third party administrators to protect consumers. Third party administrators (TPAs) come in all shapes and sizes and just as many flavors. Insurers typically provide most services for administration of its own health plans. Many Insurers also sell administrative services to self-funded plans which would make…
