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.
Law firm Wright & Schulte said they filed a legal complaint on behalf of patients, pointing to the health system’s alleged lack of transparency and negligence in protecting data as the basis for the lawsuit.
Faranak Firozan, 47, is a cybersecurity expert at Nvidia who regularly spoke on the topic of “cyber laundering.” Prosecutors in California allege she submitted fraudulent medical claims to an employer-sponsored insurance plan, bilking Cigna out of $100,000.
Sixty-one-year-old Lilit Gagikovna Baltaian, MD, is on the run after being convicted of fraudulently billing Medicare alongside co-conspirators at home health agencies. A federal court in California sentenced her to 54 months in prison.
Dr. Prateek Joshi, with the NHS hospital in Derby, England, was taking his wife, also a highly regarded physician, and three young children from India to the U.K. to start a new chapter.
The doctor is accused of using fake credentials for several months and performing approximately 50 procedures. This is the second time in recent months someone has been accused of impersonating a heart specialist and treating patients.
The insurer alleges The Guardian misrepresented the facts in a May 21 exposé that accused the insurer of pressuring nursing homes to delay and deny hospital transfers.