The case dates to April 11, 2021, when 41-year-old Ruchi Sharma, living in Iowa City at the time, visited the University of Iowa Health Care ER following a head-on car collision.

In admitting to killing Brian Thompson, 28-year-old Luigi Mangione explained his motivation and revealed new details about how he gained access to the insurance CEO. 

Radiologist Barry Jeffries, MD, allegedly improperly placed a suprapubic catheter outside of the patient's bladder, worsening his chyle leak. 

The ruling is a blow to insurance companies that were previously allowed to include “ghost rates” in reimbursement benchmarks. The court ruled that policy, put in place by HHS and other agencies, is unlawful.

The lawsuit touches on the common complaint of third-party tracking code being used on websites that in some cases captures sensitive information in patient portals and search forms. UCHealth denies the allegations.

The shift in prosecutorial focus is part of a new enforcement policy to address healthcare fraud. The U.S. Department of Justice alleges the CEO of CampusEye paid kickbacks to doctors for referrals, going on to bill Medicare for unnecessary tests.

A U.S. District Court judge ruled that the states were unable to show they would be irreparably harmed by complying with the policy, as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is covering 90% of the associated costs.

“Although notification laws may raise awareness, insurance coverage may be necessary to translate awareness into action,” experts charge in a new analysis.