Stories about physicians and other healthcare professionals involved in lawsuits—as either a plaintiff or a defendant—or accused of breaking the law. Various legal updates or unusual stories in the news may land here.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced the judgment, which was issued against two facilities in Pennsylvania. The nursing homes fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid for working hours despite staff not being on the floor.
In court documents, an unnamed Minnesota woman said that in 2022, she was admitted to an Allina Health hospital and scheduled for the removal of her infected spleen, only for an error to result in her left kidney being removed instead.
Community Health System and Physician Network Advantage, an affiliated technology consultancy firm, were accused of bribing physicians for patient referrals in the form of paid vacations, expensive gifts and business meetings held at strip clubs.
The company told Cardiovascular Business it respectfully disagrees with the jury's decision and is evaluating all possible legal options going forward. The Association of Medical Device Reprocessors, meanwhile, celebrated the news.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal reports that UnitedHealth Group is being investigated for criminal fraud, likely stemming from its Medicare Advantage billing practices.
One Medical, a chain of primary care clinics owned by Amazon, is being sued by the family of a man who died due to alleged provider negligence. Now, court filings reveal staff improperly accessed the deceased man's protected medical records.
A federal judge has issued a two-week halt to further staffing and funding cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services, agreeing that plaintiffs representing unions and municipalities may be correct in claiming the sweeping shifts by President Donald Trump's administration are unlawful.
A whistleblower lawsuit claims CVS pharmacies have overbilled state Medicaid programs for prescription drugs—a practice allegedly ongoing since 2016. The company denies any wrongdoing.
Pennant and BrightSpring Health Services have agreed to purchase some healthcare businesses from UnitedHealth and Amedisys. However, it remains unclear whether this will be enough for the DOJ to drop its lawsuit blocking the merger.
In a lawsuit, plaintiffs allege the company changed course from a long-standing policy of denying medical claims, hiding from investors its impact on profits. The insurer denies any wrongdoing and vowed to defend itself in court.
Five Tenet Healthcare hospitals are suing the Leapfrog Group, accusing the organization of pressuring hospitals to share internal data in exchange for higher scores in its annual safety rankings. The watchdog outright denies the claim.