From Mayo Clinic suing Sanford Health Plan to a pharmacist suing HCA after she was fired for a LinkedIn post, here are 15 healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements and legal developments that Becker's has reported since Dec. 19.
1. Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic has sued Sanford Health Plan, alleging that misrepresentations by the insurer left the health system with more than $739,000 in unpaid medical bills for a patient treated in early 2022.
2. A jury awarded $21 million to Benjamin Danielson, MD, after determining that Seattle Children's racially discriminated against him during his tenure as medical director of one of its clinics.
3. Knoxville, Tenn.-based University Health System and Labcorp paid $388,667 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by delaying the submission of physician orders for certain lab tests by Caris Life Sciences to enable improper billings to Medicare.
4. Florida Blue is the latest insurer to sue CMS over its Medicare Advantage star ratings.
5. Indianapolis-based Community Health Network paid $145.7 million to the Justice Department and the state of Indiana to settle alleged violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute and False Claims Act.
6. Evansville, Ind.-based Deaconess Health System's potential acquisition of Hopkinsville, Ky.-based Jennie Stuart Health has been delayed at least three months after a group opposing the deal filed a lawsuit to halt the transaction.
7. Aetna filed a lawsuit against Radiology Partners and Mori, Bean and Brooks, RP's Jacksonville, Fla.-based affiliate, alleging a fraud scheme that resulted in overpayments totaling tens of millions of dollars.
8. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit partially upheld and partially vacated a district court's ruling in a False Claims Act case against Novartis Pharmaceuticals.
9. Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, Calif., filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the state attorney general, which alleged the hospital unlawfully denied an emergency abortion to a woman diagnosed with a condition that threatened her health.
10. TRACO, an insurance affiliate of Dallas-based Steward Health Care, filed a complaint in bankruptcy court alleging that the for-profit health system has failed to repay funds despite court orders authorizing payments, jeopardizing insurance coverage for thousands of Steward-affiliated healthcare professionals.
11. Raleigh-based UNC Health Rex, a private, nonprofit health system that is part of Chapel Hill, N.C.-based UNC Health, was sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for alleged religious discrimination.
12. A website containing information for provider class settlement members in Blue Cross Blue Shield antitrust litigation launched.
13. A pharmacist is suing Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare after she was fired over a LinkedIn post.
14. Riverdale Ga.-based Southern Regional Medical Center is being sued by a patient's family after he escaped from the hospital and was shot by police.
15. A family of a late California man sued Amazon One Medical, claiming he died after a virtual healthcare visit with the company.