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 U.S. Department of Justice says its investigation into the scheme to defraud Amtrak’s employee health plan resulted in 19 prosecutions, all resulting in guilty pleas. For her role in over $2.2M of fraudulent billing, physical therapist Taejin Kim will serve a year in prison.
Jeffrey and Kim Sayward, of Florida, charge that radiologist Eric J. Sax, MD, working for MaineHealth Hospital in Biddeford at the time, failed to identify a dangerous blood clot three years ago.
Washington-based Providence Health and Services denies the allegations. The lawsuit, filed by the state attorney general, details incidents of noncompliance and retaliation dating back to 2021.
The new caps on how much borrowers pursuing professional degrees may take out have been set at $200,000. However, the plaintiffs—led by Maryland and New York—take issue with how the Trump administration defines a “professional degree,” as it includes many common healthcare fields.
While Judge Gregory Carro ruled the search of a backpack worn by Luigi Mangione—the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson—was unlawful, some of its key contents will still be allowed in at trial.
HCA Florida West Marion Hospital said it was forced to settle a malpractice lawsuit stemming from the incident, which it believes Rasmussen University is liable for.
A U.S. district court judge has ordered the Department of Justice to explain why its officials continue to comment on the trial, in violation of her order. The agency has until the end of this week to respond.
Universal Health Services was found by a jury to be liable for fraud in an alleged scheme to destabilize Saint Mary’s during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ruling includes punitive damages.
Sean Clifford and his legal representatives first filed the lawsuit Sept. 24, 2024, in the New York State Supreme Court, contending a radiologist failed to spot signs of an impending stroke.
Carleen Noreus, 51, faces allegations of running a pay-for-play nursing degree program, which may have helped unqualified people achieve licenses. Prosecutors are attempting to link the program to a medical error that killed a patient.
The nonprofit health system had allegedly deployed Meta Pixel, a common advertising tool, on its patient portal. This likely exposed sensitive health information to third parties. However, the hospital denies wrongdoing.
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.