United States

X-ray detector and radiographic X-ray apparatus

USPTO granted patent US12588878B2 to Sharp Display Technology Corporation for an X-ray detector featuring alternately stacked scintillators and low refractive index layers with light collecting portions. The invention improves light collection efficiency in radiographic imaging by focusing emitted light toward corresponding photoelectric conversion elements. This patent has 5 claims and covers technology applicable to radiographic X-ray apparatus.

Radiation detection apparatus with dual sensor panels

USPTO granted Patent US12588879B2 to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha for a radiation detection apparatus featuring dual sensor panels with a separable adhesive coupling mechanism. The invention, filed by Daiki Nakagawa et al., enables damage-free separation of sensor panels under stimulation and has applications in CT apparatus.

Portable radiographic imaging apparatus and radiographic imaging system

USPTO granted patent US12588880B2 to Konica Minolta, Inc. on March 31, 2026. The patent covers a portable radiographic imaging apparatus with a plurality of connectors supporting generic and non-generic communication cables. The patent has 6 claims and is classified under CPC A61B 6/4233, A61B 6/4283, A61B 6/4405, and A61B 6/56.

X-ray System and Method for Tissue Structural Analysis and Imaging

USPTO granted patent US12588883B2 to EosDx Inc. for an X-ray system combining mammography with absorption contrast imaging and diffractometer to analyze breast tissue structure and identify potential cancer sites. The patent, with 20 claims, names inventors Alexander P. Lazarev and Pavel Lazarev, and was filed July 13, 2023.

DiFraia v. Ransom - Eighth Amendment Prison Medical Treatment

The Third Circuit affirmed dismissal of prisoner Jonathan DiFraia's Eighth Amendment and ADA claims against prison medical officials who removed him from medication-assisted treatment based on suspected drug diversion. The court held that good-faith medical judgments by prison staff do not meet the subjective deliberate-indifference standard. The court vacated dismissal of the state-law negligence claim and remanded for reconsideration in light of intervening circuit precedent.

Cardenas v. Attorney General - Immigration Relief

Third Circuit granted in part Samuel Cardenas's petition for review of BIA decision, remanding for reconsideration of special rule cancellation under 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(b)(2)(A)(i)(II) for battered children. The court held that applicants seeking special rule cancellation must show they were abused by an LPR or citizen who held that status when the applicant sought relief. The court denied review of Cardenas's cancellation of removal claim, affirming the IJ's determination that substantial evidence supported the finding that his mother would not suffer exceptional or extremely unusual hardship.

Alabama Office-Based Surgery Regulations - Three-Tier System

The Alabama Board of Medical Examiners finalized comprehensive overhaul of Office-Based Surgery (OBS) regulations, effective March 16, 2026, with full compliance required by January 1, 2027. The rules establish a new three-tier classification system (Levels I, II, III) based on procedural risk and depth of anesthesia, replacing regulations unchanged since 2003. Registration now applies to both physicians and physician offices.

Healthcare Regulatory Developments Newsletter

JD Supra Healthcare newsletter summarizing March 2026 regulatory developments: FTC announces new healthcare task force for anticompetitive enforcement; bipartisan House bill proposes waiving $100,000 H-1B visa application fees for foreign healthcare professionals; HHS engages pharmaceutical companies on Most Favored Nation drug pricing legislation; PCMA seeks rollback of Labor Department PBM price transparency rule; and Supreme Court ruling pending on False Claims Act qui tam provisions.

New Medicare Advantage Compliance Program Guidance

The OIG released new Industry Segment-Specific Voluntary Compliance Program Guidance (ICPG) for Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs) for the first time in over two decades. The guidance identifies seven key risk areas including access to care, marketing and enrollment, and utilization management. This voluntary, nonbinding guidance is intended to complement CMS regulations and signal OIG enforcement priorities to the MA industry.

Illinois GIPA Genetic Privacy Case - No Liability Without Employment Harm

A federal court in Illinois granted summary judgment to AbbVie in Daniel Henry v. AbbVie, Inc., finding no GIPA violation despite a third-party nurse allegedly asking about family medical history during a pre-employment exam. The court held that requesting genetic information is not actionable under GIPA when the applicant's refusal had no bearing on employment decisions.