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.
Utah made waves last month when the state announced it would let an AI chatbot autonomously order drugs for patients. The move struck some observers as something of a high-stakes gamble.
He and two co-conspirators entered into agreements with doctors that consisted of financial kickbacks drawn from Medicare reimbursements for unnecessary brain imaging ordered by providers.
Members of Congress caution that the fee could be especially consequential for rural and urban safety net hospitals, which could be pushed “to their financial brink” if they are required to absorb the charge.
McLaren Health Care fell victim to ransomware crime in 2023 and 2024, with the total number of victims exceeding 3.2 million. Those affected may be eligible for a cash payment. Per the terms of the agreement with lawyers representing victims, the health system does not admit to wrongdoing.
The newly signed law, known as Act 264, bans pharmacy benefit managers from owning pharmacies in the state. It's scheduled to go into effect beginning in 2026.
This is the second time Mark Linskey, MD, has been awarded a judgement. He claims UC Irvine kicked him out of a residency program when he reported patient safety concerns and multiple incidents of waste at the academic health system.
The lawsuits, filed in multiple states, contend there's a causal link between semaglutide and a rare condition called NAION that leads to diminished eyesight. Plaintiffs want the popular weight-loss drugs to add a warning label.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced the judgment, which was issued against two facilities in Pennsylvania. The nursing homes fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid for working hours despite staff not being on the floor.
In court documents, an unnamed Minnesota woman said that in 2022, she was admitted to an Allina Health hospital and scheduled for the removal of her infected spleen, only for an error to result in her left kidney being removed instead.
Community Health System and Physician Network Advantage, an affiliated technology consultancy firm, were accused of bribing physicians for patient referrals in the form of paid vacations, expensive gifts and business meetings held at strip clubs.