An Iowa advanced registered nurse practitioner is accused of prescribing $1 million worth of unneeded medical devices to Medicare patients, ABC affiliate KCCI reported April 9.

Amid a community group's efforts to halt the closure of New York City-based Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital, New York state lawmakers are considering a bill that would require public notice and public engagement when a hospital seeks closure, AMNY reported April 9.  

A Peoria, Ariz., physician has pleaded guilty to a healthcare fraud scheme that caused payers at least $3.7 million in losses. 

The board overseeing Hollister, Calif.-based Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital is appealing a California judge's ruling that found the hospital ineligible to remain in Chapter 9 bankruptcy. 

Buncombe County in North Carolina has filed a motion to intervene in the attorney general's lawsuit against HCA and is seeking $3 million in damages it claims HCA Mission Hospital has cost taxpayers through "excessive" wait times for patients to get transferred from EMS care to the hospital's emergency department. 

California lawmakers are mulling a bill that would make it illegal for employers to message their workers outside of normal work hours, which the bill's sponsor is calling a "right to disconnect" law. 

Sanofi has agreed to settle about 4,000 lawsuits alleging that the drugmaker failed to warn patients of cancer risks tied to its heartburn drug Zantac, The Wall Street Journal reported April 3.

On April 2, a judge sentenced three defendants to federal prison for their roles in running a coordinated scheme to sell thousands of fake diplomas and transcripts to aspiring nurses. 

Colorado lawmakers have introduced a bill that would require hospitals to use their own names when suing patients over unpaid medical bills, ABC affiliate KJCT reported April 3. 

A former Medicaid supervisor will serve 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud, according to an April 3 news release from the Justice Department. 

A new firm, Affiliated Monitors, has been selected to oversee HCA Healthcare's compliance with commitments set forth in its 2019 purchase agreement of Asheville, N.C.-based Mission Health. 

An employee at CentraCare Rice Hospital in Willmar, Minn., was seriously injured after being stabbed by a patient April 1, police told local news outlets. 

A Senate committee has sent letters to Apollo Global Management, the Blackstone Group and KKR — three of the nation's largest private-equity firms — and four emergency medicine staffing companies owned by the firms, requesting they provide information by April 17 on how they oversee or staff hospital emergency departments, according to an NBC News report. 

A former systems architect with the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics has pled guilty in a three-decade identity fraud scheme — which began at a hot dog cart and cost the victim 575 days of freedom. 

A physician couple from Hollidaysburg, Pa., has pleaded guilty for their roles in a fraud scheme. 

Connecticut lawmakers are proposing legislation that would standardize paperwork for charity care and require hospitals to make it easier for patients to understand their financial assistance options at the beginning of treatment. 

A jury has found Detroit-based Henry Ford Health negligent in failing to perform a timely cesarean section, Click On Detroit reported March 31. 

A man was taken into custody by Vermont State Police after assaulting staff and destroying property with a chainsaw at St. Johnsbury-based Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital.

The Senate Finance Committee is planning a hearing with UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty on April 30, The Washington Post reports.

The Federal Trade Commission filed court documents on March 25 seeking a preliminary injunction to bar Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health from its $320 million acquisition of two North Carolina hospitals from Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems.