Legal News

Stories about physicians and other healthcare professionals involved in lawsuits—as either a plaintiff or a defendantor accused of breaking the law. Various legal updates or unusual stories in the news may land here.

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Operations manager, doctors charged in $70M imaging kickback scheme

The scam took place over a period of seven years, resulting in Medicare being billed for more than $70 million in fraudulent claims for unnecessary scans. 

UnitedHealthcare CEO shot and killed in targeted attack

Brian Thompson, 50, was walking in Midtown Manhattan toward the New York Hilton Hotel, where he was expected to attend his company’s annual investor conference. He was shot by an unknown gunman who fled the scene. 

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Man awarded $412M malpractice judgment—the largest in history

The man, Michael, was left with permanent damage to his penis after he was upsold injections by a physician assistant at NuMale Medical Center. A jury found the defendants acted negligently and committed fraud. 

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Anesthesiologist gets 190 years for injecting drugs into IV bags

The IV bags caused multiple patients to experience severe cardiac distress. The judge who sentenced former doctor Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr. said his actions were “tantamount to attempted murder."

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Radiology group will pay over $5M to settle allegations it bribed referrers

Private equity-backed American Health Imaging allegedly doled out tickets to concerts, the SEC Football Championship, meals and fishing trips to help induce referrals. 

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Michigan doctor claims he was fired for reporting unnecessary pacemaker surgeries

Daniel West, MD, is suing Trinity Health Muskegon and seeking whistleblower protection after reporting alleged malpractice and being summarily terminated.

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UnitedHealth successfully sues CMS over disputed phone call

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services violated the Administrative Procedure Act by allowing a single phone call made by a contractor to determine a Medicare Advantage star rating, a federal judge ruled. 

Federal police seize phones of Steward Health Care executives

According to a report from the Boston Globe, the search warrants were executed as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into executives at the bankrupt health system.