The following is a roundup of recently reported healthcare industry lawsuits, lawsuit updates and settlements, starting with the most recent.
1. Aetna sued for discrimination against HIV patients
Advocacy group Consumer Watchdog filed a lawsuit against Hartford, Conn.-based health insurer Aetna for discrimination regarding its policy of requiring patients with HIV to obtain medications exclusively through Aetna's mail-order pharmacy.
2. Patient suing N.Y. over release of mental health PHI
A New York resident filed a lawsuit against the state claiming a hospital incorrectly labeled him as an "involuntary admission," which led the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department to revoke his pistol permit and handguns, by order from the New York State Police.
3. Easton Hospital settles False Claims Act lawsuit for $662k
Easton (Pa.) Hospital agreed to pay $662,000 to resolve allegations the hospital violated the False Claims Act by billing Medicare for procedures that were not performed, were only partially completed, or were medically unnecessary.
4. Omnicare hit with lawsuit for allegedly accepting kickbacks
The federal government filed a False Claims Act complaint against Cincinnati-based Omnicare — the nation's largest provider of pharmaceuticals and pharmacy services to nursing homes — alleging the company received millions of dollars in kickbacks from pharmaceutical manufacturer Abbott Laboratories.
5. Court dismisses patient record lawsuit against Henry Ford Health
The Michigan appeals court reversed a class-action lawsuit, dismissing claims filed on behalf of 159 patients of Detroit-based Henry Ford Health Systems whose medical records were visible on the Internet by mistake.
6. Supreme Court to hear King v. Burwell March 4
The Supreme Court will hear arguments in King v. Burwell on March 4.
7. Adventist Health hospital settles False Claims Act allegations for $2.25M
St. Helena (Calif.) Hospital agreed to shell out $2.25 million to settle allegations it violated the federal False Claims Act.
8. Singing River Health System hit with class-action lawsuit over employee pensions
Singing River Health System in Pascagoula, Miss., is facing a lawsuit filed by employees alleging the system committed corporate and financial fraud and breach of contract when it announced plans to take the employees' pensions away.
9. Mayo Clinic settles trade secret lawsuit against former executive
Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic reached a settlement agreement to permanently withdraw a lawsuit against the former CEO of Mayo Medical Labs, Franklin R. Cockerill III, MD.
10. CFO of pain management clinics admits receiving $459k in kickbacks
Vic Wadhwa, the former CFO of a group of pain management clinics located in central Maryland, pleaded guilty to soliciting and receiving kickbacks in return for referrals.
11. SUNY foundation to pay $4M in False Claims Act settlement
Albany-based Research Foundation of the State University of New York agreed to pay $4 million to settle allegations employees falsified Medicaid audits in a violation of the False Claims Act.
12. Woman found dead in San Francisco General stairwell leads to $2.9M settlement
The family of Lynne Spalding, the patient who was found dead in a stairwell at San Francisco (Calif.) General Hospital in October 2013, entered into a $2.9 million settlement with the City of San Francisco.
13. LifePoint hit with age discrimination suit filed by former hospital CFO
The former CFO at Ishpeming, Mich.-based Bell Hospital filed a lawsuit against Brentwood, Tenn.-based LifePoint Hospitals alleging he was terminated as Bell Hospital's financial leader because of his age.
14. Tennessee Supreme Court makes decision in hospital liens case
The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled hospitals must release liens against patients once the hospital and their insurers have footed the bill.
15. 14 people charged in indictment for a 2012 deadly meningitis outbreak
Fourteen people were arrested and charged in connection with the fungal meningitis outbreak that killed 64 people and sickened more than 680 in several states in 2012.
More articles on health law:
Healthcare well represented on list of biggest False Claims Act Settlements of 2014
5 of the biggest False Claims Act developments in 2014