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.
Sean Clifford filed the lawsuit Sept. 24, 2024, in the New York State Supreme Court, contending a radiologist failed to spot signs of a forthcoming stroke.
Edna Burton underwent a hemicraniectomy to alleviate pressure on her brain after a stroke. When it came time to put an extracted piece of her skull back in place, her family alleges a Detroit hospital was forced to use a prosthetic, having lost the original. They said administrators offered a $25 gasoline card as an apology.
Patients first sued the St. Louis Park, Minnesota-based imaging group in two separate lawsuits, both filed in 2023, over its use of tracking pixels to allegedly filter info to Facebook and other third parties.
The U.S. Department of Justice has formally accused Done Global of unlawfully distributing ADHD medications without medical need, using a subscription program and targeted advertising to find patients searching for drugs. The company is also accused of filing false medical claims to Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurance. Done's founder and CEO was convicted last month on related charges and awaits sentencing.
The Pennsylvania-based health system reported drug diversion incidents to authorities involving a pharmacy technician who used employee passwords to steal pills from one of its hospitals.
The pharmacy chain said it plans to appeal the ruling. The complaint was brought by a former employee turned whistleblower who alleged that Omnicare had billed the government for millions of unnecessary prescriptions.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the OIG and FBI are also involved in the DOJ's criminal probe into alleged incidents of upcoding by the Medicare Advantage insurer. UnitedHealth denied any wrongdoing.
Jawad Bhatti, MD, is facing a 26-count indictment from the U.S. Department of Justice after he allegedly advertised the use of ozone gas as a treatment for pain, then billed Medicare and Medicaid for the unapproved procedures.
Multiple professional groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Physicians, challenge recent policy changes to vaccine recommendations for COVID-19, which end routine inoculations for minors and pregnant women.
Sweeping tax cuts and reduced spending on Medicaid and SNAP were signed into law by President Donald Trump. However, a key provision that would have paused new AI regulations was removed by the Senate.
Jennifer Forbes, 50, allegedly sent a cryptic, threatening letter to a UnitedHealthcare office along with an unknown substance. She has been charged with two counts of terrorism.