The following is a roundup of recently reported healthcare industry lawsuits, lawsuit updates and legal settlements, starting with the most recent.
1. LifePoint faces 15 lawsuits over improper heart procedures
Brentwood, Tenn.-based LifePoint Hospitals is facing 15 lawsuits and is the subject of a federal investigation over improper interventional cardiology procedures.
2. Epic faces lawsuit regarding overtime pay for technical writers
Two federal lawsuits have been filed on behalf of former Epic workers alleging the Verona, Wis.-based company owes them overtime pay.
3. Affinity Medical Center must pay nurse it fired more than $2M
Affinity Medical Center in Massillon, Ohio, which is operated by Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems, was ordered to pay more than $2 million to a nurse who was fired by the hospital more than two years ago.
4. Appeals court backs FTC, orders St. Luke's to unwind purchase of Saltzer Medical Group
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a federal judge's ruling that Boise, Idaho-based St. Luke's Health System violated antitrust laws when it acquired Saltzer Medical Group in Nampa, Idaho.
5. Medtronic settles False Claims Act case over investigational medical procedures
Medtronic, a medical device manufacturer based in Minneapolis, paid the federal government $2.8 million to resolve allegations it caused certain physicians to submit false claims to federal healthcare programs.
6. Prime Healthcare, Kaiser reach deal to drop competition suits
Prime Healthcare Services, a for-profit hospital operator based in Ontario, Calif., and Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Foundation Health Plan agreed to dismiss unfair competition and breach of contract lawsuits they filed against each other, some of which have been pending in Los Angeles Superior Court since 2008.
7. Anthem hit with class-action lawsuits less than 24 hours after announcing data hack
Less than 24 hours after Anthem announced hackers had stolen the data of as many as 80 million of its current and former customers, the insurer was hit with a putative class-action lawsuit in California.
8. 24th physician pleads guilty to taking bribes in $100M fraud scheme
A physician with practices in Jersey City, N.J., admitted he accepted bribes in exchange for test referrals as part of a long-running fraud scheme operated by Parsippany, N.J.-based Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services.
9. CHS settles false claims allegations for $75M
Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems agreed to pay the federal government $75 million to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act by providing funds to county governments that were used to fund Medicaid payments to hospitals.
10. Telehealth provider suing Texas Medical Board for 'bogus' consultation requirements
Dallas-based Teladoc, a telehealth services provider, filed a lawsuit against the Texas Medical Board for filing an emergency rule limiting the use of telephones in practicing medicine.
More articles on health law:
5 recent legislative developments affecting the healthcare industry
HCA: Arguments against health reform law are 'absurd'
7 recent whistle-blower lawsuits