J. Liam Gruzs
Practice Areas
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Health Care
- Academic Medical Centers
- Behavioral Health Care, Developmental Disabilities and Child Welfare
- Health Care Regulatory Practice
- Health Care Taxation
- Hospitals/Health Care Operations
- Joint Ventures/Hospital-Physician Collaborations
- Long Term Care Facilities
- Managed Care
- Privacy and HIPAA Compliance/Health Information Technology
- Reimbursement Counseling/Fraud and Abuse Compliance
- State and Federal Health Care Government Relations
- Privacy & Data Security
Industries
Education
- Valparaiso University School of Law, J.D., 2009, magna cum laude,
Valparaiso University Law Review, Managing Editor, 2008-2009; Notewriter, 2007-2008 - Valparaiso University, M.S., with distinction, 2009
- University of Notre Dame, B.A., 2005
Bar & Court Admissions
Liam is a partner in the Vorys Columbus office and a member of the health care group. His practice focuses on advising health care industry clients on legal, regulatory, and business issues impacting their operations. He brings in-house health care industry experience, which enables him to understand client expectations and apply a unique perspective to his practice.
Liam regularly advises a variety of providers — including hospitals, physician practice groups, home health care agencies, behavioral health care providers, and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) — at all stages of the compliance life cycle, including strategic counseling, developing effective policies and procedures, and vigorously defending government audits. Liam also regularly advises a variety of clients with various technology contracting issues, focusing on software licensing and related data privacy and security issues. His representative experience includes the following:
Health Care Compliance
- Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, including coverage, coding, and documentation.
- Provider enrollment, licensure and certification.
- Practitioner scope of practice, including the use of physician extenders.
Health Care Enforcement and Investigations
- Directing internal compliance investigations.
- Preparing for and responding to government audits, including Medicare RAC and ZPIC audits.
- Representing providers at various states of the reimbursement appeal process, including ALJ hearings.
Health Information Technology (HIT), Privacy, and Security
- HIPAA/HITECH privacy and security, state confidentiality laws, and 42 C.F.R. Part 2.
- Breach response, including investigation, notification, and process improvement.
- Telehealth delivery model development and related multi-state licensing issues.
- Federal and state remote prescribing issues related to telehealth delivery models, including when an in-person physical examination is required.
Liam received his J.D. magna cum laude from Valparaiso University School of Law, where he was the Managing Editor of the Valparaiso University Law Review. He received his M.S. with distinction from Valparaiso University and his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.
Liam served as a law clerk for Chief Judge John R. Pera of Lake County Superior Court in Indiana. He was also a judicial extern for The Honorable Algenon L. Marbley, United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.
Professional and Community Activities
- London Public Library, Board of Trustees, Member, 2019 to present; Secretary, 2020 to present
- St. Charles Alumni Association Board, 2011–2015
- Big Brothers, Big Sisters Project Mentor, Africentric Early College, 2011-2012
Honors & Awards
- Columbus CEO, Best Lawyers, Health Care, 2022
News
- 6/29/2022Vorys is pleased to announce that 59 of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized among the leading practitioners in the Columbus area in the 2022 edition of Columbus CEO’s Best Lawyers.
- 12/8/2021In this special edition of the Vorys at Work Podcast, we present a previously recorded webinar focused on the OSHA’s Private-Sector Vaccination/Testing Mandate.
- 1/2/2020Vorys is pleased to announce that Cory Catignani, Brent Craft, Blake Finney, Liam Gruzs, Rex Miller II, Sachiyo Peterson and Anthony Spina became partners on January 1, 2020.
Events
- 11/8/2021Vorys attorneys hosted a webinar to discuss the OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), which requires certain private-sector companies to regularly test non-vaccinated employees.
- 6/26/2020Jonathan Ishee and Liam Gruzs will present a webinar on July 15, 2020 at noon ET discussing legal and policy considerations surrounding telemedicine, eHealth, and HIT in a post-COVID-19 world.
- 6/17/2020Liam Gruzs, Suzanne Scrutton and Mairi Mull presented a webinar discussing the recently allocated $15 Billion by The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services CARES Act provider relief fund to Medicaid providers.
- 4/1/2020Vorys health care attorneys discussed common questions about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on various health care regulatory issues in a webinar on Wednesday, April 1, 2020.
- 1/22/2020Liam Gruzs and Suzanne Scrutton, partners in the Vorys health care group, presented a complimentary webinar on January 22, 2020 which discussed regulatory compliance issues that behavioral health care providers may face as they enter the new year.
- 9/24/2019Vorys Attorneys Mairi Mull and Liam Gruzs participated in a regional training hosted by Ohio Recovery Housing on September 24, 2019.
- 8/30/2019Vorys Attorneys Mairi Mull and Liam Gruzs participated in a regional training hosted by Ohio Recovery Housing on August 30, 2019.
- 8/16/2019Vorys Attorneys Mairi Mull and Liam Gruzs participated in a regional training hosted by Ohio Recovery Housing on August 16, 2019.
- 7/29/2019Vorys Attorneys Mairi Mull and Liam Gruzs participated in a regional training hosted by Ohio Recovery Housing on July 29, 2019.
- 7/24/2019Vorys Attorneys Mairi Mull and Liam Gruzs participated in a regional training hosted by Ohio Recovery Housing on July 24, 2019.
- 4/5/2019Vorys Attorneys Suzanne Scrutton and Liam Gruzs spoke at the Ohio Provider Resource Association (OPRA) Spring Conference on April 5, 2019.
- 4/1/2019Vorys Attorneys Liam Gruzs and Mairi Mull spoke at the 2019 Ohio Recovery Housing Annual Conference on April 1, 2019.
- 10/25/2018On October 25-26, 2018, several Vorys attorneys presented at the 2018 Ohio Provider Resource Association Fall Conference.
- 7/27/2018On July 27, 2018, Vorys attorneys Liam Gruzs and Mairi Mull presented at the Addiction Studies Institute.
- 5/7/2018Nine Vorys attorneys presented at The Ohio Council of Behavioral Health & Family Services Providers Compliance Training on May 7, 2018.
- 12/7/2017Vorys attorneys Lisa Reisz, Liam Gruzs and Mairi Mull presented the final webinar of their HIPAA Series on December 7, 2017.
- 6/21/2017Vorys attorneys Lisa Reisz and Liam Gruzs presented their first webinar of the Vorys HIPAA webinar series on June 21, 2017.
- 5/2/2017Vorys attorneys Lisa Reisz, Robin Amicon and Liam Gruzs were speakers at the 2017 OHCA/OCAL/OCID Annual Meeting on May 1-4, 2017.
- 10/5/2016Vorys attorneys Robin Canowitz and Liam Gruzs were speakers at Ohio Health Information Management Advocacy Day hosted by the Ohio Health Information Management Association on October 5, 2016.
- 6/9/2014Vorys attorneys Lisa Reisz, Jolie Havens, Michael Bronson, Victor Walton, Liam Gruzs, Linda Mendel and Matthew Albers presented at the Ohio Hospital Association’s Annual Meeting on June 9-10, 2014.
- 10/24/2013Vorys attorneys Robin Amicon, Liam Gruzs and Lisa Pierce Reisz spoke at the Academy of Senior Health Sciences 2013 Fall Conference on October 24, 2013.
- 5/21/2013Vorys attorneys Lisa Pierce Reisz and Liam Gruzs presented a webinar series to further discuss the release of the final omnibus HIPAA rule by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- 4/23/2013Vorys attorneys Lisa Pierce Reisz and Liam Gruzs presented a webinar on April 23 to further discuss the release of the final omnibus HIPAA rule by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- 3/19/2013Vorys attorneys Lisa Reisz and Liam Gruzs hosted a webinar to further discuss the release of the final omnibus HIPAA rule by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- 3/13/2013Vorys associate Liam Gruzs presented at the Akron Bar Association’s Health Law Section Meeting on March 13, 2013.
- 3/11/2013Several Vorys attorneys presented at the seminar, HIPAA, HITECH and Confidentially Training, on March 11, 2013. The training seminar was hosted by the Ohio Council of Behavioral Health & Family Services Providers.
- 2/7/2013On February 7, 2013, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease hosted a webinar discussing the release of the long-awaited final omnibus HIPAA rule by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- 3/22/2012Vorys attorneys Matt Albers, Liam Gruzs and Jolie Havens presented a teleseminar on March 22.
- 1/27/2011
Insights
- 3/16/2022OIG Releases Advisory Opinion 22-04 Approving Arrangement that Provides Cash Equivalents to PatientsOn March 2, 2022, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published Advisory Opinion 22-04 (the Opinion).
- 12/15/2021On December 15, 2021, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued an order denying in part and granting in part a stay on the nationwide Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) vaccine mandate (“CMS Mandate”).
- 12/1/2021On November 30, 2021, the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana issued an order and decision granting a nationwide preliminary injunction of the COVID-19 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) vaccine mandate (“CMS Mandate”) following a lawsuit filed by 14 states, including Ohio.
- 11/5/2021On November 4, 2021, CMS issued the highly anticipated Informal Rule with Comment Period requiring employees of Medicare and Medicaid-participating health care facilities to be vaccinated for COVID-19.
- 9/10/2021On September 9 2021, President Biden announced a six-pronged national action plan to combat COVID-19.
- 3/11/2021On Wednesday, March 10th, the House passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the third major federal COVID-19 relief act following the CARES Act and the December 2020 Consolidated Appropriations Act. President Biden is expected to sign it into law Friday.
- 1/20/2021In a January 14, 2021 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (“Fifth Circuit”) vacated a $4.3 million Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) fine against the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (“M.D. Anderson”), finding the penalty "arbitrary, capricious and contrary to law."
- 12/27/2020Late on December 27, the President signed a $900 billion relief package that will provide aid to individuals and businesses still struggling with the economic impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Both the House and the Senate passed the proposal last week.
- 12/11/2020On December 3, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) amended the current declaration triggering federal immunity under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act.
- 10/6/2020On October 1, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it will distribute an additional $20 billion from the Provider Relief Fund, which was created under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES Act).
- 8/4/2020On Monday, August 3, 2020, President Trump issued an Executive Order directing various federal agencies to take steps advancing the adoption and availability of telehealth.
- 6/10/2020Yesterday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced two more targeted allocations of provider relief funding under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
- 6/5/2020
- 5/20/2020The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OMHAS) has published guidance for behavioral health providers preparing to restart in-person services.
- 4/23/2020Following weeks of negotiations, today Congress passed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act providing a relief from the widespread economic injury caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency.
- 4/1/2020On March 30, 2020, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued 18 blanket waivers of sanctions under the physician self-referral law (Stark) to provide vital flexibility for physicians and providers in the fight against COVID-19.
- 4/1/2020In addition to the CARES Act, a number of states have enacted legislation, implemented relief programs, or made available state resources to further assist businesses in combating mounting economic hardships. This alert summarizes the state-specific relief efforts in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
- 3/31/2020This Health Care Alert includes a brief overview of the provisions of the recently signed HB 197 that impact Ohio health care providers.
- 3/30/2020In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 197 into law on March 27, 2020, a bill that had passed unanimously in the Ohio General Assembly.
- 3/27/2020The wide-reaching CARES Act provides significant additional support to the health care industry inundated by the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily in the forms of new funding and regulatory relief.
- 3/26/2020Following days of often tense negotiations, the United States Senate has passed the third phase of federal coronavirus relief legislation, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act), which will provide $2 trillion in economic aid to individuals and businesses impacted by the coronavirus public health emergency.
- 3/25/2020The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a declaratory ruling which permits certain health care entities and government officials to communicate information about COVID-19, including any mitigation measures, without first obtaining prior express consent.
- 3/23/2020
- 3/20/2020Since the first known case of COVID-19 in the United States was discovered in late January, the federal government has taken several steps to both fight the spread of the disease and blunt its economic impact on the American economy.
- 3/20/2020Emergency rules, issued early this afternoon by the Ohio Department of Medicaid, expand and enhance access to telehealth services.
- 3/19/2020In response to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government and states have reviewed requirements affecting the ability of health care providers to use and receive reimbursement for the provision of services via telemedicine.
- 3/19/2020The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) expands coverage for and reimbursement of coronavirus testing and related services by state and federal health care programs, private insurers, and self-insured group health plans.
- 3/19/2020Today, March 19, 2020, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced he will be issuing an executive order authorizing the Department of Medicaid (ODM) to promulgate emergency rules which will expand access to telehealth.
- 3/10/2020On January 10, 2020, the Department of Justice announced that a Kentucky woman admitted in federal court that she solicited kickbacks from a toxicology laboratory in exchange for urine drug testing referrals, lied to law enforcement agents about the kickback she received, and then attempted to cover up the kickback by requesting the alteration of certain financial records.
- 5/3/2019On April 30, 2019, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a notification of enforcement discretion in the Federal Register revising the maximum annual penalty amounts for breaches under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
- 11/5/2018The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published two rules designed to promote the use of telehealth and remote patient monitoring (RPM) under the Medicare program.
- 10/22/2018Effective October 1, 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented important changes to the Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) affecting the documentation of hospital inpatient admissions.
- 8/16/2017Earlier this month, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the creation of a new Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit.
- 8/15/2017Congressmen Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Tim Murphy (R-PA) recently introduced the Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act (the act), a measure that would align the Confidentiality of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Patient Records regulations (42 C.F.R. Part 2) with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended (HIPAA).
- 1/25/2017For the first time in nearly 30 years, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has updated the Confidentiality of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Patient Records regulations (42 C.F.R. Part 2).
- 2/11/2016On Tuesday, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) published a proposed rule which would amend the Confidentiality of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Patient Records regulations, found in 42 C.F.R. Part 2.
- 2/1/2016CVS recently announced that it has entered into clinical affiliations with four additional health care providers to “help enhance access to high-quality, affordable health care services for patients.”
- 6/9/2014On Wednesday, June 11, 2014, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will hold a public listening session to solicit information regarding the Confidentiality of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Patient Records Regulations, 42 C.F.R. Part 2. Under these regulations, a federally assisted substance abuse program generally may only release identifiable patient information related to substance abuse treatment services with the individual’s express consent.
- 1/27/2014In a recently published final rule, CMS established the requirements for settings that may be eligible sites for the delivery of reimbursable Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) provided under sections 1915(c), 1915(i) and 1915(k) of the Medicaid statute.
- 1/18/2013On January 17, 2013, HHS announced the release of the long-awaited final omnibus HIPAA rule. According to HHS Office for Civil Rights Director Leon Rodriguez, "This final omnibus rule marks the most sweeping changes to the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules since they were first implemented. ..."
- 5/15/2012The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued two rulemakings aimed at alleviating procedural and administrative burdens on providers in response to the president's Executive Order 13563, Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review.
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