The following hospital lawsuits were reported in the past month, beginning with the most recent.
1. Former Sutter exec says he reported IT shortfalls but was fired after computer outage
Stuart James, former chief information services operating officer at Sutter Health, claims the Sacramento, Calif.-based health system fired him after he reported management's failure to install backup EHR software that could have aided IT operations during Sutter's computer network outage in May 2018.
2. Utah hospital patient died after surgery as blood drained into garbage can, lawsuit claims
The family of a Utah woman is suing St. Mark's Hospital in Millcreek, Utah, alleging she died after surgery because blood drained from her heart into a garbage can below the operating table.
3. Pennsylvania hospital strikes $2.5M deal in fraudulent billing case
Millcreek Community Hospital in Erie, Pa., agreed to pay $2.45 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations.
4. Bridal shop's lawsuit against Texas Health Resources over Ebola-related closure heads to state's supreme court
The Texas Supreme Court will decide in November if Arlington-based Texas Health Resources was negligent when two of its nurses were infected with Ebola on the job.
5. Chicago hospital let family take stranger off life support, lawsuit claims
Two families sued Chicago-based Mercy Hospital & Medical Center, claiming the facility allowed strangers to take a patient off life support due to a case of mistaken identity.
6. Physicians accuse Sanford Health of defrauding Medicare: 5 things to know
A lawsuit two physicians filed in 2016 against Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health and one of its neurosurgeons was unsealed after the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Dakota filed a motion to intervene in the case.
7. Nurses claim Kansas hospital owes them $5M in docked overtime pay
Employees altered nurses' timecards to dock their overtime pay at Overland Park, Kan.-based Menorah Medical Center, according to a class-action lawsuit filed the week of July 1.
8. Mayo Clinic, IRS face off in federal court
A federal judge was briefed July 1 on dueling motions for summary judgment in a lawsuit Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic filed against the IRS more than two years ago.
9. Michigan hospital will pay $75K to settle religious discrimination suit over flu shot
Owosso, Mich.-based Memorial Healthcare will pay nearly $75,000 to settle a lawsuit claiming the hospital religiously discriminated against a job applicant.
10. Google, U of Chicago hit with lawsuit over patient data sharing
The University of Chicago Medical Center and Google were served with a lawsuit on June 26 that alleges the hospital violated HIPAA by sharing thousands of patients' records with the technology giant without hiding date stamps or physicians' notes.
11. Penn Medicine settles false claims allegations
Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine agreed to pay $275,000 to resolve allegations that one of its hospitals submitted false claims to Medicaid for obstetric ultrasounds.
12. Kentucky hospital faces class action after workers' health plan canceled
Employees of Pineville Community Hospital filed a class-action complaint against the hospital, its operator and others alleging money deducted from their paychecks to fund their health plan was used for other purposes.
13. Our Lady of Lourdes settles billing fraud charges for more than $1.1M
Camden, N.J.-based Our Lady of Lourdes Health Foundation and two related Our Lady of Lourdes companies will pay more than $1.1 million to settle billing fraud allegations.
14. DaVita sues Virginia Mason Memorial over alleged discrimination against kidney failure patients
DaVita, a kidney dialysis company, filed a lawsuit against Virginia Mason Memorial hospital in Yakima, Wash., claiming its employee health plan pays less for kidney dialysis after patients have been diagnosed with end-stage renal disease.
15. HCA fires back in lawsuit over ER 'cover charge'
Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare argues a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging the company and several of its hospitals bill patients an emergency room "cover charge" should be thrown out.
16. Mount Carmel hit with 3 lawsuits after Legionnaires' outbreak
Several patients filed separate lawsuits against Mount Carmel Grove City (Ohio) hospital, claiming the facility did not properly respond to a Legionnaires' outbreak that resulted in 16 confirmed infections and one death.
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