From a Florida physician sentenced to prison for falsely diagnosing 387 patients to a judge ruling Kansas can't cut Medicaid funning for Planned Parenthood, here are the latest healthcare industry lawsuits and settlements making headlines.
1. Physician who falsely diagnosed 387 patients gets 4-year prison term
Isaac Kojo Anakwah Thompson, MD, of Delray Beach, Fla., was sentenced to 46 months in prison after pleading guilty in March to one count of healthcare fraud for engaging in a scheme to defraud the Medicare Advantage program.
2. FTC dismisses complaint challenging West Virginia hospital merger
The Federal Trade Commission is dismissing its administrative complaint challenging the proposed merger between Cabell Huntington (W.Va.) Hospital and Huntington-based St. Mary's Medical Center.
3. SF General again faces allegations related to missing patient found dead
A 36-year-old woman whose body was discovered with a dismembered arm and severe head injuries was discovered at the construction site of an apartment building in San Francisco's Lower Pacific Heights neighborhood on May 1, 2015. Little was reported on the circumstances of her death at the time, but a recently filled federal lawsuit alleges hospital staff at San Francisco General Hospital reported her missing about 12 hours before she was found dead.
4. NM Supreme Court rules physician-assisted suicide a felony
In a 5-0 opinion issued June 30, the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled that physicians in the state cannot help terminally ill patients end their lives.
5. Lawsuit claims misdiagnosis, unnecessary removal of organ and cover-up at KU Hospital
A whistle-blower lawsuit filed July 1 by a physician from the University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City alleges the chair of the hospital's pathology department misdiagnosed a patient with cancer and covered up the mistake for months after the patient had an essential organ surgically removed.
6. Physician dies following attack by patient at Dallas hospital
A patient at 144-bed Timberlawn Mental Health System in Dallas was charged with manslaughter in the death of a physician he assaulted.
7. Appeals court strikes down Obama administration's rule on fixed indemnity policies
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia struck down a rule issued by the Obama administration that bars the sale of stand-alone fixed indemnity insurance plans that do not meet the standards of the Affordable Care Act.
8. Judge reduces $500M damages against DePuy in hip implants verdict
A Texas judge limited damages against Johnson & Johnson's DePuy unit in a lawsuit involving allegedly defective metal-on-metal Pinnacle hip implants, which were pulled from the market in 2013.
9. Couple sues Maine hospital, debt collector over collection tactics
A couple sued Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston and an affiliated debt collector for civil contempt, alleging the defendants continued to demand payment for unpaid medical bills after the couple filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
10. Judge: Kansas cannot cut Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood
A federal judge ruled that Kansas is not allowed to cut Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri or its St. Louis affiliate.
11. Family sues hospital after newborn overdoses on insulin
While being treated for complications at birth in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Brookwood Medical Center in Birmingham, Ala., a newborn was given an overdose of insulin. The parents of the child are now suing the hospital.
12. Texas surgical center sues DHL Express over Cigna billing dispute
Richmond, Texas-based Center for Advanced Surgical Treatment sued DHL Express shipping company for allegedly working with Bloomfield, Conn.-based Cigna to underpay and deny policyholders' benefits.
13. Patient charged with aggravated assault after breaking nurse's nose
A patient was charged with aggravated assault after breaking the nose of a nurse at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset (N.J.)
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