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:
1. A startup filed an antitrust lawsuit against Epic Systems alleging that the company is leveraging its position in the EHR market to stifle competition in the payer platform sector.
2. After weeks of internal disagreements at the Federal Trade Commission about pharmacy benefit managers, the agency said that it is suing CVS Caremark, Optum Rx and Express Scripts over allegedly inflating insulin prices.
3. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 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.
4. Cardiology practice Oregon Health Center filed a lawsuit against Salem (Ore.) Health, accusing the health system of defamation and monopolizing the cardiology market.
5. After a six-year legal battle, Beaufort (S.C.) Memorial Hospital withdrew its certificate of need for a planned hospital in Bluffton, S.C.
6. 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.
7. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accused Children's Healthcare of Atlanta of violating federal law by rescinding a job offer after an applicant requested a disability-related accommodation.
8. The Cigna Group's pharmacy benefit manager, Express Scripts, is suing the Federal Trade Commission and Chair Lina Khan over what it describes as an "unfair, biased, erroneous, and defamatory" report on pharmacy benefit managers released by the agency earlier this year.
9. Eighty hospitals are seeking to have the Part C (Medicare Advantage) Days Final rule vacated, alleging that HHS unlawfully reduced disproportionate hospital share payments by an estimated $3 billion to $4 billion over a nine-year period.
10. Aetna is facing a class-action lawsuit alleging the insurer improperly denied gender-affirming care.