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.
Sophia Shaklian, 38, of Los Angeles, and accomplices bilked Medicare of millions by submitting false claims for diagnostic imaging and hospice care that was unnecessary or never administered.
A federal grand jury indicted Anar Rustamov, 38, of Azerbaijan on 14 counts of healthcare fraud. The complex conspiracy allegedly involved billing Medicare Advantage for medical equipment that providers never ordered. Rustamov is currently a fugitive from justice.
The incident left John Douglas Cox, a mechanic in Washington’s Clark County, partially paralyzed after physicians failed to promptly diagnose and treat a spinal infection.
Authorities said Shane Daley, 40, began making threatening calls mere hours after Brian Thompson was shot and killed outside a hotel in Manhattan. Daley awaits sentencing and faces up to five years in prison.
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.
The 2024 ransomware attack on Ascension Health impacted operations in 12 states and led to protected health information being taken by hackers. A class action of plaintiffs is seeking damages.
Ohio Medical Alliance, which operates in six states to help individuals obtain medical marijuana cards, is facing a class action lawsuit after a cybersecurity researcher discovered a 323 GB trove of patient data online.
In May, a jury found the CVS subsidiary liable for filing 3.3 million fraudulent insurance claims between 2010 and 2018. The $949 million judgment was imposed in July.
Joshua Spriestersbach remained locked up in a Hawaii State Hospital psychiatric facility for nearly three years in a case of mistaken identity. However, a judge ruled neither the facility nor the staff is liable for his detainment.
Both companies are working on ChatGPT-like platforms designed exclusively for medical professionals. OpenEvidence accuses Doximity of attempting to steal its proprietary code, while the latter fires back with a defamation claim.
The defendants include operators and staff at nursing schools that were shut down over accusations they provided pay-for-play degrees that RNs and LPNs used to obtain licenses.