The following hospital lawsuits were reported within the past month.
1. Nurses claim discrimination in lawsuits against NJ hospital
Four lawsuits filed on behalf of former nurses of Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton, N.J., claim the nurses faced months of racial and disability discrimination before they were unjustly fired.
2. Advocate-NorthShore merger on hold pending FTC's appeal
U.S. Northern District Judge Jorge Alonso granted an injunction request from the Federal Trade Commission, pausing Downers Grove, Ill.-based Advocate Health Care and Evanston, Ill.-based NorthShore University HealthSystem's merger plans.
3. Mercy files $4.1M suit against Aetna for allegedly withholding reimbursement
Chesterfield, Mo.-based Mercy filed suit against Aetna, claiming the health insurance company has failed to pay the full, agreed upon amount for care provided to certain newborn babies.
4. Chicago hospital accused of illegally transferring pension obligations to an order of nuns
A group of former employees accused Holy Cross Hospital in Chicago of improperly classifying its pension as a "church plan" exempt from federal law.
5. CNO claims hospital forced her out after she raised concerns about EMR
A former nursing executive at Sonoma West Medical Center in Sebastopol, Calif., filed a lawsuit against the hospital, alleging she was fired after raising concerns the EMR was a threat to patient safety
6. Feds: Carolinas HealthCare forced steering restrictions in top payer contracts
The Department of Justice and North Carolina Attorney General filed an antitrust lawsuit against Carolinas HealthCare, alleging the Charlotte, N.C.-based system drove up costs in the region by imposing steering restrictions in contracts with commercial health insurers.
7. Cigna ordered to pay $13M to physician-owned hospital
A Texas federal judge ordered Cigna to pay more than $13 million to Humble (Texas) Surgical Hospital, concluding that the Bloomfield, Conn.-based insurer breached the terms of its policies by refusing to cover out-of-network services provided by the physician-owned facility.
8. NJ hospital to pay $450k for allegedly billing Medicare for unnecessary heart procedures
Saint Michael's Medical Center in Newark, N.J., agreed to pay $450,000 to resolve false claims allegations.
9. Former Aspen Valley Hospital District worker sues hospital for disclosing HIV status
A former employee of the Aspen (Colo.) Valley Hospital District is suing the hospital, alleging the organization breached his right to privacy when it disclosed he was HIV positive.
10. UPMC settles one mold infection lawsuit for $1.35M
After four patients contracted mold infections in two UPMC hospitals in Pittsburgh, the system faced two lawsuits from patients' family members. One such case was recently settled for $1.35 million.
11. Trinity Health hospital to pay $107M to settle pension mismanagement lawsuit
Hartford, Conn.-based St. Francis Hospital, part of Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health, will pay $107 million to settle a lawsuit alleging it mismanaged its pension plan.
12. Feds join executive's $50M false claims suit against Prime Healthcare
The Department of Justice intervened in a whistle-blower lawsuit against Prime Healthcare, alleging the Ontario, Calif.-based hospital chain defrauded the federal government of millions of dollars by billing Medicare for medically unnecessary inpatient short-stay admissions, which should have been classified as outpatient or observation cases.
13. Lee Memorial wants to evict another patient
Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers, Fla., is suing to evict a patient with dementia and Parkinson's disease who has remained at the Fort Myers, Fla.-based hospital for nearly three months after physicians cleared him to leave.
14. Whistle-blower claims 33 hospitals submitted more than $1B in fictitious costs
A whistle-blower defended the viability of a federal complaint he filed, saying 33 hospitals in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia benefited from fictitious cost report claims submitted to Medicare and Medicaid.
15. MLK Hospital sues BCBS of Ga. for giving reimbursement money to patients
Los Angeles-based Martin Luther King Hospital filed suit against Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, alleging the insurer sends reimbursement money for emergency room services directly to patients as a means of retaliation against out-of-network hospital prices.
16. Cardiothoracic surgeon claims discrimination in lawsuit against Oregon hospital
A cardiothoracic surgeon filed suit against St. Charles Health System, accusing the Bend, Ore.-based system of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act when he was fired in November.
17. Mississippi health system to pay $150M over failed pension plan
Pascagoula, Miss.-based Singing River Health System entered into a federal settlement that releases it from liability over its failed pension plan.
18. Transgender nurse sues Dignity Health for refusing to cover gender reassignment costs
A transgender Dignity Health employee filed suit against the San Francisco-based hospital chain, alleging the system wrongfully denied him coverage for hormone therapy and sex-reassignment surgery