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 judgment includes $30 million in punitive damages. The lawsuit was brought by Maria Gatchalian, a NICU nurse who said she was fired for reporting patient safety concerns to management. The health system said it intends to appeal the court's decision.
The U.S. Department of Justice said the defendants, five ophthalmology clinics in Florida, would pay kickbacks to a testing company that performed unnecessary transcranial Doppler ultrasounds. Prosecutors said an investigation into incidents of Medicare and Medicaid fraud stemming from the conspiracy is ongoing.
The health system said it offered a “historic” 21.5% raise as part of a new contract, but it’s been unable to reach an agreement with union officials. Workers are expected to walk off the job starting Jan. 26.
Michael McKee is accused of making the journey from Illinois to Ohio and then shooting the two victims in their home on Dec. 30. He was arrested after surveillance footage showed his car at the scene before and after the murders.
HCA Florida West Marion Hospital said it was forced to settle a malpractice lawsuit stemming from the incident, which it believes Rasmussen University is liable for.
A U.S. district court judge has ordered the Department of Justice to explain why its officials continue to comment on the trial, in violation of her order. The agency has until the end of this week to respond.
Universal Health Services was found by a jury to be liable for fraud in an alleged scheme to destabilize Saint Mary’s during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ruling includes punitive damages.
Sean Clifford and his legal representatives first filed the lawsuit Sept. 24, 2024, in the New York State Supreme Court, contending a radiologist failed to spot signs of an impending stroke.
Carleen Noreus, 51, faces allegations of running a pay-for-play nursing degree program, which may have helped unqualified people achieve licenses. Prosecutors are attempting to link the program to a medical error that killed a patient.
The nonprofit health system had allegedly deployed Meta Pixel, a common advertising tool, on its patient portal. This likely exposed sensitive health information to third parties. However, the hospital denies wrongdoing.
The settlement was reached with the U.S. Department of Justice as part of Chapter 11 proceedings. Exactech is currently under restructuring that will see its business bought out by multiple investment firms.