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Two female doctors chatting while walking upstairs in a hospital
Two female doctors, wearing blue scrubs, are walking up a staircase in a hospital, chatting together. They appear to be in a good mood. There are other medical professionals walking in the background.

For years, Wisconsin has been among a shrinking group of states that require advanced practice nurses to maintain a collaborative agreement with a physician or dentist in order to practice. That is about to change. On September 1, 2026, the APRN Modernization Act (Act 17) takes effect, moving Wisconsin from a system that certifies advanced practice nurse prescribers (APNPs) to one that licenses advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and, for qualifying nurses, permits independent practice for the first time.
Continue Reading Wisconsin’s APRN Modernization Act – New Emergency Rules Chart the Path to Independent Practice

July 17, 2026

Due to the sustained increase in the price of fuel, the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) has increased the optional standard mileage rates mid-year for computing the deductible cost of operating an automobile for business, medical, and moving expenses.

Effective July 1, 2026, the optional standard mileage rates are 76 cents per mile for business transportation, and 23.5 cents per mile for travel relating to medical and moving transportation expenses.

These increased mileage rates apply only…
Continue Reading On the Move: IRS Increases Standard Mileage Rates Mid-Year

On April 30, 2026, at the Health Care Compliance Association’s 2026 Compliance Institute, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) introduced its updated Corporate Integrity Agreement (“CIA”) template, using the Kinex Medical Company CIA as its model. The updated template retains the core elements of an effective compliance program while introducing significant enhancements that reflect OIG’s evolving compliance expectations.
Evolution of Corporate Integrity Agreements and Compliance Program Requirements
The new CIA template introduces…
Continue Reading OIG’s New CIA Template Enhances Compliance Obligations for Health Care Organizations

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Hiring your first out-of-state employee can introduce a complex web of local and state employment laws that may differ dramatically from those you already follow. From paid leave requirements and pay transparency laws to non-compete restrictions and city-specific ordinances, multi-state employment compliance can quickly become a challenge for unprepared employers.
Hiring an Out-of-State Employee Requires Extra Caution
Stop. Look. Listen.

I remember seeing these safety signs at railroad crossings when I was growing up. Stopping, looking and listening was…
Continue Reading Hiring Your First Out-Of-State Employee? Watch for These Compliance Risks

Plaintiffs’ attorneys use “Reptile Theory” tactics in transportation litigation to push for higher verdicts by appealing to jurors’ primal need for safety, distracting from the relevant facts of the case. They attempt to get witnesses to agree to sweeping absolute statements about safety precautions and broaden motor carriers’ responsibility beyond what state and federal regulations require, thereby portraying motor carriers and their drivers as an inherent risk to public safety. For motor carriers, understanding how these arguments work and

…
Continue Reading What Motor Carriers Need to Know About Reptile Theory in Transportation Litigation

Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) is rapidly reshaping the way workplaces function, especially in health care. While AI offers meaningful opportunities to streamline employer processes and increase efficiency, its adoption is outpacing the development of legal standards and governance structures. Moreover, a patchwork of state and local laws that seemingly conflict with current federal policy further muddy the waters for employers attempting to assess and navigate the risks associated with AI use in the employment space.
AI’s Growing Role in Employment…
Continue Reading Navigating AI in the Workforce Without Clear Legal Guardrails

Deciding to start a small business is exciting, energizing, and often a little overwhelming. Whether you are turning a side hustle into something more, launching a long‑planned venture, or buying into an existing operation, this step is more than a career move: it is an investment of your time, money, and future. Many new business owners find themselves asking: “Do I really need a lawyer to get started?” While you are the expert on your idea and industry, experienced…
Continue Reading I Want to Start a Small Business in Wisconsin — Now What?

Think of all the travel centers you know. Now, think of which one of those has the largest convenience store with 75,593 square feet. If you still cannot figure it out, think of the smiling beaver wearing a red hat with a yellow circular background. You guessed it, we are going to talk about Buc-ee’s!

Buc-ee’s is a cultural phenomenon that, despite having over 50 locations and spanning over 12 states, has a legal team that actively monitors …
Continue Reading Don’t Mess With the Beaver: What the Buc-ee’s Lawsuit Says About Trademark Enforcement 

  • Hartford Hospital plans to construct a $950M, 14-story, 500,000-sf inpatient and surgical tower. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and will include 216 private-room inpatient beds.
  • Health systems continue land banking for future development. Recent examples include Novant Health’s purchase of the 56-acre former TD Bank campus off I-85 in Greenville, SC, for $45M; Atrium Health’s acquisition of 10 acres near I-77 in Fort Mill, SC, for $5M; and Banner Health’s purchase of 18 acres in North Phoenix,

    • …
    Continue Reading Weekly Hospital Real Estate Briefing: More Land Banking | Hartford Hospital Plans $950M Tower | CaroMont Invests $200M in Oncology Services

    The U.S. health care industry continues to experience consolidation, with steady merger and acquisition activity (“M&A”) aimed at improving quality, expanding patient access and reducing costs by leveraging economies of scale. These transactions present a unique opportunity to undergo a strategic analysis of an often overlooked, but vitally important area: the supply chain.

    Integrating two previously independent supply chains can be challenging from multiple perspectives, particularly given differing processes, levels of integration, existing vendor relationships and operational philosophies. These…
    Continue Reading From Transaction to Transformation: Leveraging M&A to Optimize Health Care Supply Chains

    Not all business information is created equal, especially when it comes to legal protection. Companies often use the terms “trade secrets” and “confidential information” interchangeably, but under Wisconsin law, the distinction is meaningful and can significantly impact both risk exposure as well as available remedies. Understanding how these categories of information differ is essential for businesses to protect valuable business assets and navigate any potential disputes.

    1. What Is a Trade Secret?

    A trade secret is a specific category…
    Continue Reading Not All Secrets Are Created Equal: Trade Secrets versus Confidential Business Information

    When equity interests in a passthrough entity are sold, such transaction documents are often described as “partnership interest purchase agreements,” “membership interest purchase agreements” or “equity purchase agreements.” However, under U.S. federal income tax rules, a transaction that is legally structured as an equity purchase can sometimes be treated (in whole or in part) as an asset purchase—whether by default, election or sometimes as the result of post-closing actions.

    Occasionally, this discrepancy is overlooked until just before closing, which…
    Continue Reading Equity Transaction or Asset Transaction? Looks May Be Deceiving

    If you visited your local dispensary or brewery yesterday to celebrate 4/20, things probably did not look much different than they did back in January, when we first wrote about the looming federal THC ban set to take effect in November 2026. THC beverages and vapor products remain widely available and, at least in my area, that availability appears to be growing. But the current status quo could change dramatically in just a few months.

    Many industry members…
    Continue Reading Happy 4/20. November Is Going To Be Weird

    Why Digital Asset Succession Illinois Matters More Than Ever
    When most Illinois business owners think about succession planning, they focus on tangible assets such as real estate, inventory, equipment, and bank accounts. While those assets are important, they no longer reflect the full value of a modern business.
    Today, digital asset succession planning is critical because a significant portion of your company’s value exists online. This includes proprietary software, client databases, online revenue streams, and cryptocurrency holdings.
    For many

    …
    Continue Reading Beyond the Brick and Mortar: Digital Asset Succession for Illinois Business Owners

    Under Wisconsin law, employees must first be the victim of identity theft or other concrete, imminent harm to have standing to sue employer for data breach. Mere risk of future data misuse is not enough to establish standing.

    Business owners and executives are well aware of the risk of data breaches given the proliferation over the past decade or so. Many times we think of data breaches in terms of customer information only. What is often less pondered is

    …
    Continue Reading Wisconsin Signals Limitations on Employer Liability for Employee Data Breaches

    There is a common assumption in the business world: If you paid for it, you own it. As laid out in one of Erin’s earlier posts, that is not always a case with IP. To quickly summarize, the default under copyright law is that whoever creates the thing owns the copyright, even if someone else paid to have it created. The exception to this is a “work made for hire,” where the person paying is the one who…
    Continue Reading Setting Yourself Up to Own What You Think You Own