News Archive

The opioid crisis, flu vaccination requirements, disability claims, and wage and hour disputes are all issues that challenge health care human resources, according to Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman attorney Kevin Stella.

Stella, who practices in the area of labor and employment law with an emphasis on issues facing health care clients, was the featured speaker at the IU McKinney Hall Center for Law and Health Grand Rounds lecture on January 24.

Health care is a highly regulated and complex industry, and employment laws are just one of many challenges, according to Stella.

But Stella said that there are some notable issues that come up more frequently than others. The opioid crisis has prompted health care employers to consider drug screening programs and video surveillance of employee workspaces. Employers also face complex decisions about taking a termination or rehabilitation approach in cases of drug use among employees, he said.

Stella said he continues to field calls on the question of employees citing religious exemptions for flu vaccines. And, in addition to advising clients about how to communicate over issues such as leaves of absence due to disability claims, Stella said that health care employers may be “in the crosshairs” of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Young v. United Parcel Service regarding pregnant employees and “light duty” job accommodations. He also noted that wage and hour disputes continue to be a hot issue in health care, and raised the possibility that some health care employers may want to consider binding arbitration as a mechanism to more efficiently address this risk.   

Working with health care employers is fascinating and rewarding, Stella said. Most feel a calling to the profession, and to caring for patients. “At the end of the day, it’s all about the patient,” Stella said.

Other upcoming Hall Center events at IU McKinney Law include:

• The McDonald-Merrill-Ketcham Award Lecture on Friday, March 22, with Professor Karen DeSalvo, M.D., MPH, Department of Internal Medicine & Professor, Department of Population Health, The University of Texas at Austin, Dell Medical School. The event begins with a light lunch at 11:30 a.m. in the atrium, followed by the award lecture from noon to 2 p.m. in the Wynne Courtroom. This is a free event, but registration is required.
• “The Conscience Defense To Malpractice: A Multi-Jurisdictional Study of Conscience Laws Relating to Reproductive Care,” a Grand Rounds lecture on Thursday, March 21 at 4:30 p.m. presented by Nadia Sawicki, Georgia Reithal Professor of Law and Academic Director of the Beazley Institute for Health Law & Policy, Loyola University School of Law Chicago. This is a free event, but registration is required.
• “Racial Disparities in Maternal and Infant Mortality,” a Grand Rounds lecture on Thursday, April 18 at 4:30 p.m. in the Wynne Courtroom, presented by Khiara Bridges, Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Equity, Justice & Engagement, Boston University School of Law. This is a free event, but registration is required.

The William S. and Christine S. Hall Center for Law and Health was established in 1987 to expand the curriculum and teaching of health law and provide opportunities for students.