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 shiny Tesla Cybertruck cost $100,000. Its owner, Kevin Curry, 64, was convicted by a federal jury for his role in orchestrating a kickback scheme to defraud the military healthcare program. He awaits sentencing.
Five beneficiaries of the safety-net healthcare program have sued with the support of the National Health Law Program. They are joined by prestigious industry lobbies, including the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Plaintiffs allege Anne Arundel Medical Center in Maryland, the target of the data breach, had a server containing unencrypted patient data that hackers were able to access during the breach. The hospital and its parent health system are still recovering from the incident.
In a complaint, a California doctor accused his former employer and colleagues of making false statements to damage his reputation. The hospital argued, successfully, that the internist failed to exhaust internal dispute resolution procedures that could have stopped him from losing income.
The judge did not rule that Cigna was justified in refusing to pay but did agree that, under provisions of the NSA, federal courts have no right to compel payments.
The Accountability Board has submitted an official proposal for UnitedHealth Group to separate its CEO and board chair positions, both currently held by Stephen Hemsley.
Jay Hospital confirmed the four employees involved have been terminated. However, the content of the images—said to show patients sleeping or medicated—remains unknown. The plaintiffs in the two lawsuits declined to sign nondisclosure settlements.
The alleged incident is not a crime in California, which has a “shield law” in place to protect the physician from interstate extradition. However, it remains unclear what would happen if he visits a state where abortion is outlawed.
The 20 Democratic attorneys general argued 1.8 million people stand to lose their health insurance. A U.S. district court ruled that there isn’t enough evidence to issue an injunction, as the impact won’t be known until next year.
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.