The following hospital lawsuits were reported in the past month, beginning with the most recent.
1. CHS hit with securities fraud class-action lawsuit
A federal class-action complaint filed May 30 alleges Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems and three top executives made false and misleading statements about the company's business that artificially inflated its stock price.
2. DOJ alleges Kansas hospital made false claims about EHR technology
Burlington, Kan.-based Coffey Health System agreed to pay $250,000 to settle allegations that it submitted false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for incentive payments for meaningfully using electronic health records.
3. UNC sues Vidant over hospital board shuffle
The University of North Carolina is suing Greenville, N.C.-based Vidant Medical Center over changes made to the hospital's board.
4. Intermountain drops false claims case it took to Supreme Court
Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare asked the Supreme Court to dismiss its petition to review a False Claims Act case that began in 2012.
5. Patients sue HCA over emergency room 'cover charge'
Three patients who received emergency care at hospitals operated by HCA Healthcare are suing the Nashville, Tenn.-based company for allegedly billing them and other emergency room patients a "cover charge."
6. Justices send UPMC-Highmark case back to lower court
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court sent a case involving UPMC and Highmark back to a lower court, stating more information is needed to make a decision on the deadline of an upcoming split between the Pittsburgh-based rivals.
7. Oklahoma Heart Hospital to pay $2.8M to settle false-billing allegations
Oklahoma Heart Hospital in Oklahoma City will pay $2.8 million to settle allegations of fraudulent Medicaid billing practices.
8. HCA hit with lawsuit alleging sex discrimination at Kansas clinic
A former employee filed a lawsuit against HCA Healthcare and others, alleging she was repeatedly sexually harassed by a surgeon at HCA's sports medicine clinic in Overland Park, Kan.
9. Kansas hospital sued for allegedly leaking patient's PHI to rape suspect
A former Atchison (Kan.) Hospital patient filed a lawsuit in federal court May 8 against the hospital and one of its former X-ray technicians for allegedly leaking her protected health information to the man she claims raped her.
10. Is Mayo Clinic primarily a school or a medical center? Federal judges will decide
In July, federal judges will consider dueling motions for summary judgment in a lawsuit Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic filed against the IRS more than two years ago.
11. Acadia Healthcare inks $17M deal to settle billing fraud allegations
Franklin, Tenn.-based Acadia Healthcare entered into a $17 million settlement to resolve allegations its drug treatment centers in West Virginia submitted fraudulent claims for reimbursement to the state's Medicaid program.
12. Texas health system settles false billing case
Decatur Hospital Authority, which is doing business as Wise Health System in Decatur, Texas, agreed to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act.
13. Mount Sinai faces lawsuit over age, sex discrimination in its global health institute
Eight current and former employees of New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System's global health institute filed a federal lawsuit April 26 against the health system and several officials for alleged sex and age discrimination that led to the demotion or resignation of women in senior leadership.
14. CHI Franciscan enters $25M settlement over charity care practices
Tacoma, Wash.-based CHI Franciscan agreed to forgive medical debt and rehabilitate the credit of thousands of patients who qualified for charity care at its acute care hospitals between 2012 and 2017 but did not receive it.
15. Former patient sues IU Health for allegedly altering his medical records
An Indianapolis-based IU Health former patient filed a lawsuit against the health system for allegedly altering his medical records used in prior litigation.
16. Florida hospital sues Aetna over readmission payment policy
Lakeland (Fla.) Regional Health filed a lawsuit against Aetna claiming the insurer arbitrarily denied payment for readmitted patients.
17. 27 West Virginia hospitals sue drug industry players, allege opioid conspiracy
Twenty seven hospitals in West Virginia sued opioid manufacturers, distributors and dispensers, accusing the companies of fueling the opioid crisis by using false marketing claims and unregulated shipping mechanisms.
18. Baystate Health hit with class-action suit after phishing attack exposed 12,000 patients
Weeks after Springfield, Mass.-based Baystate Health reported a phishing attack that exposed the personal health information of 12,000 patients the hospital was slapped with a class-action lawsuit.
More articles on legal and regulatory issues:
Texas patient recruiter gets prison time for role in $20M Medicare fraud scheme
Healthcare CEO sentenced to prison in bribery case
Legal challenges mount against religious freedom rule for healthcare workers