From the U.S. Supreme Court exempting church-affiliated hospitals from federal pension law to a hospitalist group settling a billing fraud case for $4.2 million, here are the latest lawsuits and settlements making headlines.
1. Lawsuit claims Houston Methodist secretly taped patient calls
Eric Haufrect, MD, filed a lawsuit against Houston Methodist Hospital, alleging the hospital secretly recorded telephone conversations for as long as eight years without the consent of patients, nurses or physicians.
2. California hospital sues Alecto for $30M
Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, Calif., filed a lawsuit against Irvine, Calif.-based Alecto Healthcare Services, alleging Alecto engaged in "egregious malfeasance and/or outright fraud" in its management of Antelope Valley Hospital.
3. Physician pleads no contest to manslaughter of former colleague
A physician received a 32-year prison sentence after pleading no contest to four charges related to the shooting of a former colleague from New York City-based Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center.
4. Southern Baptist Hospital of Florida asks US Supreme Court to take on medical records case
Jacksonville-based Southern Baptist Hospital of Florida wants the U.S. Supreme Court to review a case involving the privacy of medical records in malpractice lawsuits.
5. Kentucky physician sentenced to 4 years in prison for billing fraud, unlawful opioid prescribing
A district court judge sentenced a physician from Louisville, Ky., to 48 months in prison for the unlawful distribution of controlled substances and healthcare fraud.
6. Concurrent surgeries at Mass General caught in crosshairs of new lawsuit
A whistle-blower suit recently filed against Massachusetts General Hospital claims orthopedic surgeons at the Boston-based hospital kept patients under anesthesia longer than necessary so they could complete two or three surgeries simultaneously.
7. Woman arrested for posing as employee at Indiana hospital
A woman was arrested for impersonating an employee of Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center in Jasper, Ind.
8. Plastic surgeon imposter sentenced to 6 years in prison
A man who pretended to be a plastic surgeon and performed surgeries on multiple patients at a Denver medical clinic was sentenced to six years in prison.
9. Man faces federal charge after making bomb threat at Illinois hospital
A 57-year-old man was charged June 1 with felony disorderly conduct after making a bomb threat at Presence Mercy Medical Center in Aurora, Ill.
10. Dayton mayor files suit against physicians, drugmakers and drug distributers for role in Ohio opioid crisis
The mayor of Dayton, Ohio, filed a lawsuit against physicians, drug manufacturers and drug wholesalers for allegedly contributing to the city's ongoing opioid crisis.
11. Supreme Court exempts church-affiliated hospitals from federal pension law: 5 things to know
The U.S. Supreme Court held that church-affiliated hospitals do not have to comply with the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act, which governs employee pensions.
12. Hospitalist group settles billing fraud case for $4.2M
Fredericksburg (Va.) Hospitalist Group and 14 of its member physicians agreed to pay $4.2 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations.
13. Kentucky ambulance service accused of billing fraud: 6 things to know
Arrow-Med Ambulance, an ambulance service in Jackson, Ky., allegedly submitted false claims to Medicare and Medicaid.
14. Privacy lawsuit against MDLive dismissed: 3 things to know
The lead plaintiff in a class-action privacy lawsuit filed against MDLive, a Sunrise, Fla.-based telehealth provider, voluntarily dismissed the suit June 2.
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