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.
Washington Physicians Health Program (WPHP), a contractor with the state health department, is accused of trapping two physicians into mental health treatment as a condition of maintaining their medical residency jobs. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are seeking class action status.
Federal regulators alleged that U.S. Anesthesia Partners—a portfolio company of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowes—engaged in a “roll-up scheme” in Texas that effectively eliminated the competition. The company denies the allegations, but has agreed to undisclosed terms that would see the lawsuit resolved.
The technologist, who was diagnosed with aggressive lymphoma in 2023, says she previously took her concerns to leadership, but her claims were not taken seriously.
The owners of several telemarketing companies, along with the organizations themselves, have been named as defendants in a federal lawsuit. The Federal Trade Commission alleges that the group would sell bundled services as supposed “PPO” plans, leaving patients to discover that services were not covered.
“Radiologists should exercise caution when implementing...protocoling workflows that bypass independent radiologist review," one expert writes in the American Journal of Roentgenology.
In 2024, a Denver cardiologist was sentenced to 158 years to life in prison for drugging and sexually assaulting multiple women he met through online dating apps. Six of his victims have now filed a civil lawsuit that claims the apps are “hospitable to serial predators.”
The January 2024 incident at Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin had all of the hallmarks of a ransomware attack, with an unknown cybercrime group taking credit in a letter to the payer. In total, 533,000 people were impacted by the data breach.
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.