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 cardiovascular care of thousands of Missouri patients is suddenly up in the air. The heart of the issue is a practice's alleged interest in opening up a new private equity-backed clinic.
On Tuesday, a judge formally rejected a motion by the company to have the case dismissed. Carelon Behavioral Health, a subsidiary of Elevance, is accused of publishing an inaccurate directory of providers for those seeking mental health services.
In total, 131 hospitals are acting as plaintiffs. They’re asking a court to throw out 2023 changes to the Disproportionate Share Hospital calculation that altered the way Medicare Advantage and Social Security income were factored into the risk-adjusted payments hospitals receive for caring for vulnerable patient populations.
It’s unclear why Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare dropped its lawsuit, but it did so with prejudice, meaning the hospital cannot refile. There are many unanswered questions surrounding the unusual case, including how common incidents like this are and whether or not the hospital can technically bill for the time the room was occupied.
On Dec. 11, the Alaskan cardiologist was captured as part of a months-long investigation and charged with 10 counts of possessing child sexual abuse materials. The fire at his home occurred two days later.
The plaintiffs argue that the administration has overstepped its authority and that only Congress can levy such hefty fees. As noted in the lawsuit, healthcare relies on skilled labor immigration to bring doctors, nurses and researchers into the country.
Lauren Beene, MD, and Valerie Fouts-Fowler, MD, allege in a lawsuit that Ohio-based University Hospitals fired them for expressing concerns through a chat app. The health system accused the duo of misusing internal communications for personal gain.
Yale New Haven failed to notify parents about the use of the cow-based formula, which they expressly asked staff not to use. A judge found that the hospital failed to stock a human alternative, known to be safer for premature newborns.
According to attorneys representing a potential class action of plaintiffs, Sharp HealthCare was not forthcoming about its use of a tool for automatic note-taking. The technology allegedly captures everything said in an exam room, including sensitive details on diagnoses, and sends it to an offsite server.
Paxton says the “woke” EHR giant is intentionally making it harder for patients and families to access historical medical data, violating state law. Epic denies the allegation.
Every time an ambient AI vendor boasts about how many providers use its tool, a hungry lawyer gets a plum lead for a class-action lawsuit. And a lot of such lawyers are now on high alert for just such an opportunity to pounce.