The full Senate voted unanimously during a Sept. 25 hearing to hold Dallas-based Steward Health Care CEO Ralph de la Torre, MD, in contempt. This is the first time since 1971 that the Senate has held someone in criminal contempt. 

Independence Health System has fired four individuals who worked at its Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg, Pa., following the alleged sharing of inappropriate patient images.

Seven people have been indicted for their alleged roles in a more than $40 million Medicare and Medicaid fraud scheme. 

On Sept. 23, the Federal Trade Commission published a redacted lawsuit it recently filed against three pharmacy benefit managers and group purchasing organizations. Here is what to know:

A U.S. appeals court has reinstated more than 500 lawsuits against drugmaker Merck & Co. because of its osteoporosis drug Fosamax, which plaintiffs allege increases risk of thigh bone fractures, according to court documents reviewed by Becker's.

From the FTC suing the nation's three largest pharmacy benefit managers to Epic facing an antitrust lawsuit, here are 10 healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements and legal developments that Becker's has reported since Sept. 13: 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law Sept. 20 that prohibits social media platforms from delivering addictive feeds to children beginning in 2027, unless the platform has verified that the user is not a minor or has obtained verifiable parental consent.

After weeks of internal disagreements at the Federal Trade Commission about pharmacy benefit managers, the agency said Sept. 20 that it is suing CVS Caremark, Optum Rx and Express Scripts over allegedly inflating insulin prices. 

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging that Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville (Ark.) refused to allow an employee to perform his surgical technician job duties because of his sex.

From Walgreens agreeing to pay more than $100 million to settle false claims allegations, to a physician indicted in an alleged $32.7 million Medicare scheme, here are 10 healthcare billing fraud cases Becker's has reported since Sept. 10: 

A liver transplant surgeon at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center frequently altered patients' records in a national database, potentially preventing them from receiving transplants, according to CMS documents obtained by the Houston Chronicle. 

Cardiology practice Oregon Health Center has filed a lawsuit against Salem (Ore.) Health, accusing the health system of defamation and monopolizing the cardiology market, according to local reports.

A Chicago jury failed to reach a verdict Sept. 18 over claims that heartburn drug Zantac causes cancer, Reuters exclusively reported. 

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions voted Sept. 19 to forward two resolutions regarding contempt charges against Steward Health Care chairman and CEO Ralph de la Torre, MD, to the full Senate. 

A Louisiana physician has been indicted for his alleged role in a scheme to defraud Medicare of more than $32.7 million by submitting claims for medically unnecessary definitive urine drug testing services.

After a six-year legal battle, Beaufort (S.C.) Memorial Hospital has withdrawn its certificate of need for a planned hospital in Bluffton, S.C., the hospital confirmed in a statement shared with Becker's.

Ralph de la Torre, MD, chairman and CEO of Dallas-based Steward Health Care is invoking his Fifth Amendment right ahead of a Senate committee's contempt vote. 

A group of House lawmakers have introduced a bill aimed at strengthening the enforcement of the No Surprises Act. 

Dakota Dunes, S.D.-based Dunes Surgical Hospital, United Surgical Partners International and USP Siouxland agreed to pay $12.76 million to resolve allegations that the surgical center violated the False Claims Act through improper relationships with two physician groups. 

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has accused Children's Healthcare of Atlanta of violating federal law by rescinding a job offer after an applicant requested a disability-related accommodation.