The following hospital lawsuits and settlements were reported since Aug. 31, beginning with the most recent.
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. 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.
3. 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.
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. New Hampshire hospitals allege CMS approved discriminatory Medicaid rates
Three New Hampshire hospitals are suing CMS and the state of Vermont over the Medicaid rates Vermont pays to out-of-state hospitals.
7. Hospitals want redo in site-neutral payment case
The American Hospital Association and dozens of individual hospitals filed a petition Aug. 31 asking a federal appeals court to rehear a case challenging HHS' site-neutral payment policy that cuts Medicare payments for hospital outpatient visits.
8. Battle over building 100-bed hospital in Augusta heads back to Georgia Supreme Court
A dispute over Augusta (Ga.) University Medical Center's plan to build a 100-bed hospital is headed back to the Georgia Supreme Court.
9. West Virginia VA hospital employee says he was targeted after reporting concerns over serial killer
An employee at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, W.Va., filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit claiming he was targeted for reporting patient care and management problems at the facility and concerns over a serial killer.
10. Dignity Health strikes $950K settlement in wage-deduction suit
A federal judge in Nevada approved a $950,000 settlement that resolves allegations that San Francisco-based Dignity Health improperly deducted wages from a group of healthcare workers.
11. SUNY Downstate faces 4th lawsuit alleging inadequate cardiac patient care, retaliation against surgeons
A cardiothoracic surgeon filed a lawsuit against SUNY Downstate Medical Center in New York City, alleging that he was fired after he notified leadership about patient safety and quality issues — the fourth such lawsuit filed against the hospital.