From a Florida hospital settling a whistle-blower lawsuit for $12 million to six pharmaceutical executives being charged in an alleged fentanyl racketeering scheme, here are the latest healthcare industry lawsuits and settlements making headlines.
1. Fla. orthopedic medical group to pay $4.5M to settle false claims allegations
Jacksonville, Fla.-based Southeast Orthopedic Specialists agreed to pay the federal government $4.5 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations.
2. Rideout Health to pay $2.4M to settle drug mismanagement claims
Marysville, Calif.-based Rideout Health agreed to pay the federal government $2.4 million to settle allegations it violated the federal Controlled Substances Act.
3. South Miami Hospital settles whistle-blower suit for $12M
South Miami (Fla.) Hospital, a 100-bed nonprofit hospital, agreed to pay the federal government approximately $12 million to resolve allegations it submitted false claims to federal healthcare programs.
4. Court orders HHS to eliminate Medicare appeals backlog
A federal judge ordered HHS to clear its backlog of Medicare reimbursement appeals by the end of 2020.
5. 6 pharma executives face criminal charges for alleged fentanyl racketeering scheme
Six pharmaceutical executives who worked for Chandler, Ariz.-based Insys Therapeutics were arrested on charges that they led a nationwide conspiracy to bribe clinicians to unnecessarily prescribe fentanyl-based pain medication.
6. CHI Franciscan Health to give nurses $5M in back pay
Nurses at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash., the flagship hospital of CHI Franciscan Health, are slated to receive $5 million in back pay after reaching a settlement with the health system regarding a lawsuit filed in Pierce County Superior Court.
7. Tampa General pays $10k sum for all plaintiffs in data breach settlement
To settle a class-action data breach lawsuit, Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital agreed to pay all plaintiffs a total of $10,000 in damages and up to $7,500 to cover attorney fees and litigation costs.
8. Maine co-op's risk corridor lawsuit gets green light
A federal judge ruled that nonprofit health plan Community Health Options can proceed with its lawsuit against the federal government over payments it claims it is owed under the ACA's risk corridor program.
9. Epic sued over overtime pay policies
A number of former and current Epic Systems quality assurance workers filed a lawsuit against the health IT vendor over the company's overtime pay policies.
More articles on health law:
OIG expands Anti-Kickback Statute safe harbors: 6 things to know
7 latest lawsuits involving hospitals
Hospitals' billion-dollar pension dispute heads to Supreme Court