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.
Luigi Mangione still faces nine counts in New York stemming from the alleged murder of Brian Thompson. Additionally, he faces a federal murder indictment that carries the possibility of the death penalty.
The veteran interventional cardiologist claims he was pushed out after repeatedly asking for more coverage from cardiothoracic surgeons in addition to other improvements. The hospital, meanwhile, described the lawsuit as a “collection of false allegations."
A former executive at Verily is suing the company, alleging he was fired after reporting the incidents to management. The misuses of data, if true, would constitute HIPAA violations.
Adena Health System was accused in a class-action lawsuit of deploying Meta Pixel tracking tools on its patient portal. As many as 89,000 patients could have had protected health information shared with advertisers.
Joseph Thomas Kinney, 55, was arrested this week for allegedly using fake credentials to obtain work as a registered nurse. His arrest is part of what appears to be a growing national trend.
Robert C. O’Laughlin, MD, and attorneys first took Radiation Therapy Services and its physicians to court in late 2016, citing qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act.
Epic’s attempt to have a lawsuit filed by startup Particle Health dismissed was unsuccessful. However, a U.S. district court judge narrowed the claims and rejected accusations that Epic engaged in defamation.