From a federal jury convicting an Illinois physician of healthcare fraud to an ex-CEO claiming retaliation for blowing the whistle on millions of dollars in false Medicare charges, here are the latest healthcare industry lawsuits and settlements making headlines.
1. Walmart ordered to pay pharmacist $31M for gender bias
After deliberating for less than three hours, a federal jury in New Hampshire ordered Walmart to pay $31.22 million to a pharmacist who claims she was fired because of her gender.
2. Ex-CEO claims retaliation for blowing the whistle on $10M in false Medicare charges
The former CEO of a hospital-physician joint venture in Roseburg, Ore., filed a federal lawsuit against his former employer, claiming he was fired for reporting $10 million in fraudulent Medicare payments.
3. Southcoast Health urges court to toss Steward's monopoly lawsuit
New Bedford, Mass.-based Southcoast Health System urged a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Boston-based Steward Healthcare, claiming Steward failed to state a claim under federal or state antitrust law.
4. Ex-operator of shuttered NC hospital to pay $148k in damages, fees
Yadkin Valley Community Hospital in Yadkinville, N.C., unexpectedly closed last year, and a federal judge ordered the former operator of the shuttered facility to pay civil contempt damages and attorney fees.
5. Federal jury convicts Illinois physician in Medicare fraud scheme
Banio Koroma, MD, a physician at now-shuttered Mobile Doctors in Chicago, was convicted on federal fraud charges.
6. Former physician sentenced to 2 years for illegally prescribing pain medication
A 78-year-old former physician who practiced medicine in Niagara Falls, N.Y., was sentenced to two years in prison for conspiring to illegally dispense controlled substances from his medical office.
7. Managed care plan to pay $46.7M to settle fraud allegations
CenterLight Healthcare and CenterLight Health System agreed to a $46.7 million settlement to resolve claims the companies enrolled ineligible members in the CenterLight Healthcare managed long-term care plan.
8. Court rules Johns Hopkins wrongly terminated job offer to deaf nurse
A U.S. district court judge found Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Hospital violated the federal Americans with Disabilities Act when officials rescinded a job offer to a deaf nurse following her request for a sign language interpreter.
9. Planned Parenthood plot twist: 10 things to know about who was indicted
Two anti-abortion activists and leaders of the Center for Medical Progress who made undercover videos of Planned Parenthood were indicted by a grand jury in Houston on felony and misdemeanor charges.
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