From HHS dropping an appeal of a data tracking lawsuit to a Montana health system settling false claims allegations, here are 10 healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements and legal actions Becker's has reported since Aug. 21:
1. Berlin, Md.-based Atlantic General Hospital agreed to pay a $2.25 million settlement to resolve a data breach lawsuit stemming from a January 2023 ransomware attack against the system.
2. Kaleida Health's former chief of surgery accused the Buffalo, N.Y.-based system of harassing and punishing him for reporting patient safety concerns and professional misconduct.
3. HHS dropped its appeal of a lawsuit from the American Hospital Association over the use of data trackers on hospital websites.
4. Helena, Mont.-based St. Peter's Health will pay more than $10.8 million to settle allegations that it submitted false claims to federal healthcare programs for oncology services.
5. A contract nurse at Chesterfield, Mo.-based St. Luke's Hospital filed a lawsuit against her former employer over allegations of unlawful hour cuts.
6. Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health and the Justice Department reached an agreement to resolve allegations that the health system violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by refusing to allow a service animal into a medical office.
7. A federal judge ruled that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota must face a lawsuit from the U.S. Labor Department accusing the payer of incorrectly imposing a state provider tax on self-funded health plan customers and violating its fiduciary duties under ERISA.
8. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court's ruling that Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems was in compliance with licensing requirements when it sold Pottstown (Pa.) Hospital to Tower Health.
9. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Biden administration over a nursing home staffing level mandate.
10. A patient's family is bringing a lawsuit against Sacramento, Calif.-based Mercy San Juan Medical Center after a 31-year-old woman died and her body was put into cold storage without the family's knowledge.