Insights

April

• 4/2013
  • Jonathan Ishee
  The Rise of Hospital Outpatient Departments in the Era of Decreased Provider Reimbursement
  Jonathan Ishee, of counsel in the Vorys Houston office and a member of the health care group, authored “The Rise of Hospital Outpatient Departments in the Era of Decreased Provider Reimbursement” for the April 2013 edition of the American Health Lawyers Association’s Business Law & Governance publication.
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March

• 3/26/2013
  Oil and Gas Alert: Proposed Legislation to Eliminate Aggregation Exemption for Oil & Gas Industry
  On March 14, 2013, Representative Jared Polis (D-CO) introduced a bill (H.R. 1154) to amend the Clean Air Act (CAA) to eliminate the exemption for aggregation of hazardous air pollutants from oil and gas sources. CAA § 112(n)(4) currently prohibits the aggregation of emissions from "any oil or gas exploration or production well (with its associated equipment) and emissions from any pipeline compressor or pump station."
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• 3/22/2013
  Labor and Employment Alert: OFCCP Issues New Directive For Analyzing Pay Discrimination Claims For Use By The Federal Contracting Community
  Recently, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) officially withdrew the Bush-era guidance regarding pay discrimination. In its place, the OFCCP issued Directive 307, accompanied by a fact sheet and answers to frequently asked questions.
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• 3/20/2013
  Immigration Alert: Update on April 1 H-1B Filings
  At the beginning of each fiscal year, which starts October 1, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) makes available an allocation of new H-1B visas. The number of these new visas that are available each year is capped at approximately 65,000 (plus an additional 20,000 that are exempt from the cap for individuals with advanced degrees from an accredited U.S. college or university). Applications for these new visas can be filed as soon as April 1.
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• 3/18/2013
  Health Care Alert: CMS Releases Final Rule Regarding Physician Payment Sunshine Act
  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a final rule on the Physician Payment Sunshine Act. The final rule imposes new reporting requirements on group purchasing organizations (GPO) and manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologicals or medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
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• 3/18/2013
  Client Alert: Have Your Cake and Eat It (Too)
  Asset protection planners in Ohio will soon have one more arrow in their quivers. Effective March 27, 2013, Ohio law will permit the creation and funding of a domestic asset protection trust.
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• 3/18/2013
  • Evelyn Lundberg Stratton
  Medicaid expansion adds up for Ohio families, taxpayers
  Evelyn Lundberg Stratton, who prior to joining Vorys served for 16 years on the Ohio Supreme Court, authored an op-ed on the proposed expansion of Ohio’s Medicaid program for the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
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• 3/12/2013
  Immigration Alert: USCIS Releases Revised Form I-9
  On March 8, 2013, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a revised Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 for use by employers.
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• 3/5/2013
  Immigration Alert: Time to Prepare for April 1 H-1B Filings
  At the beginning of each fiscal year, which starts October 1, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services makes available an allocation of new H-1B visas. The number of these new visas that are available each year is capped at approximately 65,000.
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• 3/4/2013
  Client Alert: U.S. District Court Dismisses $10 Million FCA Suit
  U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr. recently granted a motion to dismiss qui tam claims from two relators who alleged that Lockheed Martin violated the False Claims Act by inflating the reported number of hours its employees worked on government contracts.
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• 3/2013
  • Zachary T. Brumfield
  The “Short Cut” To The Stabilization of the Underwater Housing Market: How the New FHFA Short Sale Guidelines Promote Economic Efficiency
  Zachary Brumfield, a staff attorney in the Vorys Columbus office, authored an article for the March 2013 edition of the Real Estate Law Journal. The article focused on how the new FHFA short sale rules promote economic efficiency.
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February

• 2/28/2013
  Labor and Employment Alert: Employee Cost Sharing for Health Benefits and other Employee Benefits News
  Recent government guidance addresses permissible employee cost sharing under your company's group health plan. This Vorys Client Alert summarizes what you need to know about out-of-pocket limits, annual and lifetime dollar limits, first dollar preventive care, and tobacco surcharges.
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• 2/27/2013
  Ohio Tax Reform: Focus on Sales and Use Tax, Oil and Gas Businesses
  Ohio Governor John Kasich’s FY 2014‑2015 biennial budget bill (House Bill No. 59) was recently introduced. Within the bill are significant Ohio sales and use tax reform proposals.
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• 2/25/2013
  Labor and Employment Alert: Department of Labor Issues Final Rule Implementing Amendments to the Family and Medical Leave Act
  Recently, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a final rule implementing and interpreting changes to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) enacted by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and the Airline Flight Crew Technical Corrections Act. The final rule will take effect on March 8, 2013.
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• 2/15/2013
  Client Alert: Oil and Gas Tax Provisions Contained in the "As Introduced" Version of House Bill 59
  On February 12, 2013, the Ohio General Assembly released the "As Introduced" version of House Bill 59 (the Bill), which is the operating budget bill for state fiscal years 2014 and 2015. The Bill contains significant tax reform elements.
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• 2/15/2013
  State and Local Tax Alert: Ohio Tax Reform Bill Introduced - House Bill No. 59
  Ohio Governor John Kasich's FY 2014-2015 biennial budget bill was introduced this week. Weighing 22 pounds in print, covering over 4,200 pages and containing almost 130,000 lines of text, the bill does not lack in length or ambition.
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• 2/13/2013
  • Evelyn Lundberg Stratton
  Bill would clarify that courts can help deal with mentally ill
  Evelyn Lundberg Stratton, of counsel in the firm’s Columbus office who before joining Vorys served for 16 years on the Ohio Supreme Court, authored an op-ed for the Columbus Dispatch in support of Ohio Senate Bill 350. According to her op-ed, the proposed legislation would allow probate judges to order outpatient treatment for somebody who does not need a full, expensive and often unavailable hospitalization.
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• 2/8/2013
  Client Alert: Estate Planning Certainty
  The new year has brought with it several permanent changes to the state and federal estate tax laws. These changes will have a major impact on estates and the terms of estate planning documents on a going forward basis.
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• 2/1/2013
  Client Alert: Ohio EPA Proposes Rule Revisions to Its Stage II Vapor Control Requirements for Gasoline Dispensing Facilities
  The Ohio EPA has proposed a new exemption from its Stage II vapor recovery requirements for new gasoline dispensing facilities (GDFs) that install low permeation hoses and notify the Ohio EPA of their intent to comply with the requirements of the new rule.
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January

• Jan/Feb 2013
  The Economy and Bumps in the Road
  G. Ross Bridgman, a partner in the Columbus office and chair of the Vorys health care group, co-authored an article with Scott R. Mote, the executive director of Ohio Lawyers Assistance Program, for the January/February 2013 edition of the American Bar Association's GP Solo.
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