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.

Department of Justice DOJ

Doctor gets prison time, $20M fine for fraudulent telehealth prescriptions

John R. Manning, MD, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud for issuing unnecessary prescriptions billed to Medicare and receiving more than $812,000 in kickbacks.

healthcare surprise billing statement payment

UnitedHealth garnishing claims to recoup ‘loans’ from Change Healthcare hack

UnitedHealth Group said it is seeking repayment of “interest-free” advances distributed to providers struggling during the shutdown of claims processing caused by the ransomware attack on Change Healthcare. 

UMMC sued after pharmacist allegedly hacked computers to spy on women

The academic medical center is accused of deploying lax security protocols that allowed an employee to access internet-connected cameras and private emails in acts of privacy invasion that lasted a decade. 

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Supreme Court lifts Ninth Circuit order that reinstated federal workers

Among the agencies impacted is the Department of Veterans Affairs, which released thousands of probationary workers as part of a staffing purge conducted by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

doctor in handcuffs after being arrested

Man in custody after allegedly impersonating a cardiologist—at least 7 patients are dead

He is accused of claiming to be a cardiologist from London and performing heart surgeries at a hospital in India.

radiology clock alarm turnaround time efficiency

Criticisms over teleradiologist’s quick CT read convince jury to OK $15.5M malpractice verdict

Thomas J. Bryce, MD, purportedly only spent five minutes reading head and spine images of a 74-year-old who had experienced a fall, a fact harped on by winning plaintiff attorneys. 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sign.

Judge halts HHS’s $11B cuts to state healthcare programs

In issuing an injunction, a federal district court in Rhode Island ruled that states and their populations would suffer irreparable harm if the funds allocated by Congress were not granted to them.

Jose Jacob cardiologist

Florida cardiologist arrested for allegedly kissing patient without consent

“He has taken my freedom, my joy,” the alleged victim said. “I’m scared to go out now. I’m scared to go to my doctor’s appointments now."