Publications

• Accountable Care Organizations – Proposed Regulations (Part Two)
  

  Author: J. Alan Lewis

  In General:
  In the first part of this analysis of the proposed regulations concerning Accountable Care Organizations (“ACOs”), we covered some of the general requirements for qualifying as an ACO and the reasons behind CMS’ emphasis …

  [read more]
• Accountable Care Organizations – Proposed Regulations (Part Three)
  

  Author: J. Alan Lewis

  In General:

  In Part I of this analysis of the proposed regulations concerning Accountable Care Organizations (“ACOs”), we covered some of the general requirements for qualifying as an ACO and the reasons behind CMS’ emphasis on …

  [read more]
• Top 10 Legal/Environmental Issues for the Water/Wastewater Facility Manager
  

  On Tuesday May 3, 2011, attorney Walter Wright spoke to the Water Works & Water Environmental Association in Hot Springs, AR. Click below to access Mr. Wright’s presentation titled Top 10 Legal/Environmental Issues for the Water/Wastewater Facility Manager.

  [read more]
• Accountable Care Organizations – Proposed Regulations (Part One)
  

  Author: John Alan Lewis

  Introduction:
  The health care reform bill (the “Affordable Care Act” or “ACA”) passed in March of 2010 contained a section mandating the creation of a shared savings program for Medicare expenditures. Section 3022 of the ACA …

  [read more]
• Environmental Aspects of Real Estate and Commerical Transactions
  

  Mitchell Williams attorney Walter G. Wright served as a contributing author on the topic of Underground Storage Tanks in the newly released book Environmental Aspects of Real Estate and Commerical Transactions. Mr. Wright discusses the effect USTs have …

  [read more]
• Testing ERISA 404(c) Safe Harbor Protections
  

  Author: Tod D. Yeslow

  In Howell v. Motorola, Inc., (7th Cir. 2011), the Seventh circuit recently tested the safe harbor protections of ERISA section 404(c) afforded to fiduciaries of plans with participant-directed investments. The Court issued its opinion in …

  [read more]
• Your Estate Plan and the Tax Relief Act
  

  The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (the “Tax Relief Act”) was signed by the President on December 17, 2010.  The Tax Relief Act contains various estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer (“GST”) tax provisions which …

  [read more]
• Usury in Arkansas: The Current Status
  

  Author: W. Christopher Barrier

  On November 2, 2010, Election Day, Judge Mary McGowan entered an order in the case of Forrest v. Daniels refusing to enjoin voting on Issue No. 2, the Usury Amendment, and dismissing the plaintiff’s claim …

  [read more]
• HHS Rules for Medical Loss Ratio Announced
  

  Author: Randi Reichel

  On November 22, the Department of Health and Human Services issued its long-awaited medical loss ratio (MLR) regulation.  The document, some 308 pages long, sets out the requirements that carriers must follow under section 2718 of …

  [read more]
• Usury in Arkansas: Something Old, Something New
  

  Author: W. Christopher Barrier

  State and national banks headquartered in Arkansas will barely notice the impact of the passage of the constitutional amendment labeled Item 2 (the “Amendment”) when it takes effect on January 1, 2011.  The Arkansas-specific federal …

  [read more]