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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Fraud prevention expert charged with over 167 suspected incidents of healthcare fraud

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.

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Fugitive doctor sentenced in absentia for $1.5M Medicare fraud scheme

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.

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Respected radiologist and his family among hundreds dead in Air India plane crash

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. 

‘Unqualified and fraudulent’ cardiologist linked to three patient deaths

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.

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UnitedHealth sues prominent newspaper over 'demonstrably false' report

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.

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Florida substance abuse center agrees to $1.9M settlement with FTC over deceptive advertising

Evoke Health Care Management was accused of disseminating over 68,500 illegal ads that linked to a marketing call center, rather than actual addiction treatment services.

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OIG audit points to $7M in overpayments by CVS Medicare Advantage plan

The insurer, Coventry Health, rejects the agency's methodology and has said it will not repay the alleged upcoding overpayments.

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PBM lobby files lawsuit to block Arkansas law

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association—a trade lobby representing pharmacy benefit managers—argues a state law that would force companies to divest from drugstores could leave patients without access to critical medications.