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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UnitedHealthcare sued by 17 hospitals in $145M dispute over out-of-network reimbursement

The hospitals all belong to HCA Healthcare, which claims it is required by law to care for emergency patients regardless of their medical coverage status.

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MSNBC settles 'uterus collector' defamation lawsuit

MSNBC is settling a defamation lawsuit filed by Mahendra Ami, MD, who was accused in 2020 of performing mass hysterectomies at an ICE detention center. Ami denied the accusations and sued the network for $30 million, alleging they failed to verify the claims of a whistleblower nurse.

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Report: UnitedHealth under investigation by DOJ for Medicare Advantage upcoding

According to the Wall Street Journal, the DOJ is looking into whether the insurer is responsible for billing the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for patient diagnoses not applicable to the actual care a patient will need, in an effort to boost monthly payments received by the agency. 

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Chinese companies accused of conspiring to steal imaging trade secrets from Philips

Xiaoqin Du, 63, of Suzhou, China, allegedly formed a rival firm in the same Chicago suburb as Philips, luring away engineers to relay intimate company details. 

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Federal judge sides with FTC; case against PBMs to move forward

A federal court dismissed a counterclaim from CVS, UnitedHealth and Cigna that sought to halt the case on constitutional grounds.

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Doctor responsible for $742K ‘residency prep’ scheme gets 3-year sentence

Sonny Saggar, MD, a physician working for St. Louis General Hospital, billed Medicare and Medicaid for patient visits his unqualified assistants conducted. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy. 

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DOD contractor hit with $11M fine for health data mismanagement

A U.S. military contractor has agreed to an $11.2 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve allegations it lied about properly securing sensitive patient data tied to the Tricare program.

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UnitedHealth hires law firm, demands doctor recant statements on social media

According to a report from Bloomberg Law, UnitedHealth has hired a prestigious defamation law firm to police what it deems as misinformation posted online.