News + Insights

Closely Held Businesses: You Make the Plan, or a Plan Will Be Made For You

Written By Merrill G. Jones, II and Zachary F. Lamb

Who is the Better Planner for Your Affairs: You or the State? Planning for the succession of a closely held business is a lot like making a will. An individual has the opportunity to make a will that directs how the indiv…

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Appealing a North Carolina Occupational Licensing Board Decision

Written By Eric J. Remington and Amy H. Wooten

Ed. Note: This is the third in a series of three articles examining disciplinary and appeals processes in front of North Carolina professional and occupational licensing boards. See the first article here and the seco…

Appealing Disciplinary Actions of North Carolina Professional or Occupational Licensing Boards

Written By Eric J. Remington and Amy H. Wooten

Ed. Note: This is the second in a series of three articles examining disciplinary and appeals processes in front of North Carolina professional and occupational licensing boards. See the first article here. It is hard to …

The HIPAA Right of Access Initiative: Still Going Strong Despite COVID

Written By Leigh A. Wilkinson

In late 2019, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced it would be focusing its enforcement efforts under the Health Insurance Portability and Accounta…

"Do I Need to Return My PPP Loan?" SBA Extends Safe Harbor Deadline to May 18

Written By William S. Durr

[Ed. Note: The safe harbor deadline has been updated to reflect FAQ 47, published on May 13, which extends the original safe harbor deadline to May 18 for PPP borrowers to return their loans.  The deadline e…

Understanding and Responding to Licensing Boards

Receiving notice of a complaint or investigation from a licensing board almost always is traumatizing.  Responding can be challenging because the mere submission of a complaint can trigger a strong emotional response…

How Did We Get Here? A Quick Look at North Carolina Occupational Licensing Legislation

Written By Whitney Campbell Christensen

During the past four years, numerous bills concerning North Carolina's occupational licensing boards have been proposed, but few have passed in the legislature and become law. The initial push to amend the laws governing …

The Affordable Care Act: What's New in 2018/2019?

Written By Devon D. Williams

Over the past several years, there has been much speculation surrounding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the "ACA"), including whether it would be repealed in full, only partially, or not at all.  Des…

Professional Defense for Professional Licenses

Sometimes it's best to let professionals do what they do best. I don't call a real estate agent when I need a flu shot, and I don't go to my chiropractor to fix a leaking sink. Yet when professionals, such as real estate …

HIPAA: Responding to Law Enforcement and Administrative Requests and Demands Part I

Written By J. Michael Fields

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ("HIPAA") Privacy Rule attempts to strike a balance between the protection of a patient's privacy and the performance of important law enforcement functions.  T…

Substance Use Disorder Treatment Providers: Time for a Compliance Check

Written By J. Michael Fields

SAMHSA Amends Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records Regulations On January 18, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ("SAMHSA"), an agency of the United States Department of Hea…

It's 2016: Do You Know Where Your Medical Records Are?

Written By Leigh A. Wilkinson

Most of us assume that our medical records are under lock and key, safe and secure, somewhere in a vault.  But assumption is not always reality, and with the rapid conversion of paper records to electronic, the locati…