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 an associate 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, pharmacies, home health care agencies, behavioral health care providers, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and physician practice groups — 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 issues related to employee benefit plans. 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 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.
- Federal and state issues related to e-prescribing practices.
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.
ERISA-Related Privacy
- Advises clients on HIPAA privacy and security issues related to employee benefit plans.
- Advises employers in regards to contracts with third-party vendors of employee health/welfare plans.
- Advises on various issues that arise regarding the interplay between employee health/welfare plans and Medicare.
Liam is an editor of the blog HealtHITech Law. The blog provides interesting and pertinent analysis of a variety of issues involving HIT, specifically developments in HIT privacy and security including HIPAA/HITECH compliance and the interplay of state privacy laws, EHR implementation and use challenges, telehealth, and health information exchanges. He has significant experience speaking and authoring content related to his areas of practice.
He is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association HIT practice group, the Society of Ohio Healthcare Attorneys, the International Association of Privacy Professionals, and the American Society for Pharmacy Law.
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
- St. Charles Alumni Association Board, 2011–2015
- Big Brothers, Big Sisters Project Mentor, Africentric Early College, 2011-2012
- South Bend Center for the Homeless, Volunteer and Tutor, 2002-2005
- Robinson Community Learning Center, Volunteer and Tutor, 2002-2005
News
- 6/13/2012Vorys’ fifth and newest blog was launched to provide interesting and pertinent analysis of a variety of issues involving health information technology (HIT). The blog, available at www.healtHITechlaw.com, will provide readers with frequent updates on developments in HIT.
Events
- 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
- 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.
- 11/3/2011
- 6/15/2011
- 7/9/2010
- 6/23/2010
- 2008