From a West Virginia hospital agreeing to pay $50 million to resolve a whistleblower lawsuit to a surgeon suing a Florida health system for unlawful retaliation, here are the latest healthcare industry lawsuits and settlements making headlines.
1. West Virginia hospital settles whistleblower suit for $50M
Wheeling (W.Va.) Hospital agreed to pay $50 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting claims to Medicare that resulted from violations of Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute.
2. Ex-physician group managers, owner agree to resolve billing fraud allegations
Two former managers and the owner of a now-defunct physician group in North Carolina agreed to resolve allegations that they billed federal payers for medically unnecessary diagnostic tests.
3. Former Zocdoc CEO sues execs over 2015 ouster
The co-founder and former CEO of Zocdoc sued his fellow co-founders for fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud in the Supreme Court of New York.
4. Surgeon sues Orlando Health for $800K, alleges forced in-network referrals
An orthopedic surgeon who formerly worked at Orlando (Fla.) Health is suing the health system for unlawful retaliation and violation of anti-kickback laws.
5. Data-sharing lawsuit against U of Chicago Medical Center, Google dismissed
A federal judge in Illinois dismissed the class-action lawsuit against the University of Chicago Medical Center and Google, which alleged HIPAA violations.
6. Urgent care network to pay $12.5M in billing fraud case
A company that owned and operated more than 30 urgent care centers agreed to pay $12.5 million to resolve overbilling allegations.
7. Independence Blue Cross pays $2.3M to settle false claims allegations
Independence Blue Cross agreed to pay $2.3 million to resolve accusations that two of its subsidiaries incorrectly calculated Medicare plan costs for CMS, leading to inflated reimbursement.
8. University of Illinois files lawsuit to stop nurses from striking
The University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago said it filed a lawsuit to prevent certain critical care nurses from striking in the event of a walkout by union members.
9. Patient sues UPMC after suffering third-degree burns in operating room
A man burned in a fire while undergoing surgery at UPMC's Williamsport (Pa.) Regional Medical Center is suing the hospital, an anesthesia firm, two physicians and a nurse.
10. Fired OHSU hospital administrator alleges discrimination
A Black woman who worked for Oregon Health & Science University's Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland filed a lawsuit alleging she was discriminated against and stereotyped before her firing.
11. Widow of HealthAlliance patient sues hospital, EHR vendor for not releasing husband's medical records
The widow of a former lung cancer patient at HealthAlliance Hospital is suing the Kingston, N.Y.-based hospital and its EHR vendor, Ciox Health, for allegedly withholding her deceased husband's medical records.