The following investigations, lawsuits, settlements or other legal developments involving healthcare providers were reported within the past month, beginning with the most recent.
- Roseland Community Hospital Sued by Former Executives
Roseland Community Hospital in Chicago is being sued by three former executives claiming the hospital violated the terms of the executives' separation agreements.
- Bozeman Deaconess Hospital Faces Lawsuit From Fired Whistle-Blowing Employee
Bozeman (Mont.) Deaconess Hospital currently faces a lawsuit from Lawrence Slate, a former employee who claims he was fired for being a whistle-blower.
- Wahiawa General Hospital to Pay $450k to Settle False Claims Allegations
Wahiawa (Hawaii) General Hospital will pay $451,428 to settle two False Claims Act lawsuits, brought forth by a whistle-blowing physician.
- 3 New York Hospitals to Pay $4.5M to Settle Worker Meal Disputes
Current and former employees at three hospitals in central New York agreed to settlements related to lawsuits that alleged the hospitals did not pay employees for "missed or interrupted" meal breaks.
- Emory University Settles False Claims Act Investigation With $1.5M
Emory University in Atlanta agreed to a settlement of $1.5 million to resolve allegations of False Claims Act violations surrounding its clinical trial services.
- Physician Sues St. John Medical Center for Defamation
St. John Medical Center in Westlake, Ohio, faces a lawsuit from a cardiologist who claims accusations made by the hospital defamed his character and hurt his business.
- BCBS of Illinois, Southern Illinois Healthcare Gain Key Victory in Antitrust Case
An antitrust suit filed by an ambulatory surgery center against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois and Southern Illinois Healthcare in Carbondale faces an uphill battle after a federal judge dismissed a major tenet of the case.
- Vanguard Settles 2 Lawsuits With Merger Critics
Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanguard Health Systems settled two lawsuits that protested Vanguard's merger with Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare Corp.
- Halifax Health's Legal Defense Bills to Top $15M
Daytona Beach, Fla.-based Halifax Health has already spent $15 million fighting a 2009 whistle-blower suit, and that amount is only expected to grow as the system faces a March trial date.
- Akron Children's Goes to Court to Ensure Chemo for Amish Girl
Akron (Ohio) Children's Hospital took legal action to continue chemotherapy treatments for an Amish girl with leukemia.
- MedCentral Sued for Firing Alleged Kickback Scheme Whistle-blower
MedCentral Health System in Mansfield, Ohio, is facing a lawsuit from a former employee who claims he was fired for exposing a potential kickback scheme.
- Phoebe Putney Won't Have to Sell Palmyra Hospital in FTC Settlement
The Hospital Authority of Albany Dougherty County in Georgia and Albany, Ga.-based Phoebe Putney Health System agreed to a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, resolving charges that the parties' acquisition of Palmyra Park Hospital harmed competition.
- UMass Memorial Medical Center Settles False Claims Allegations
Worcester, Mass.-based UMass Memorial Medical Center will pay the state $66,000 to resolve allegations it improperly sent bills for uninsured patients to a homeless shelter so it could then submit bills to a state program for payment.
- San Francisco Threatens Lawsuit Over Nevada's Patient-Dumping
San Francisco has demanded Nevada reimburse local California governments for the care of about 500 patients given "Greyhound therapy."
- University of Kentucky Resolves Suit Over Withheld Data From Embattled Pediatric Surgery Program
A lawsuit against the University of Kentucky over withholding patient safety data from its hospital's now-closed pediatric heart surgery program was resolved through a judge's dismissal.
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center Layoffs Lead to Lawsuits
Layoffs at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., led to at least one lawsuit against the hospital.
- Shands Settles False Claims Charges With $26M
Shands Healthcare in Gainesville, Fla., agreed to a $26.2 million settlement to resolve allegations of overbilling state and federal health programs.
- Texas Children's Hospital Sues State Over Disproportionate Share Payments
Texas Children's Hospital in Houston filed suit against the state's health agency to halt pending changes to the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital program.
- UTMC Nurse Fired Following Failed Transplant Files Lawsuit
The University of Toledo (Ohio) Medical Center faces a lawsuit from a former nurse who was fired following the accidental disposal of a kidney intended for transplant.
- Northwestern University to Pay $2.9M to Settle False Claims Act Allegations
Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., agreed to pay a settlement of $2.9 million to be released from False Claims Act allegations over the use of cancer research grant funds.
- Employees Sue Nashville General Hospital Over Unpaid Overtime
Nashville (Tenn.) General Hospital at Meharry faces a lawsuit over allegedly failing to compensate employees for working through breaks and after shifts ended.
- Needle Manufacturer Settles Hospitals' Antitrust Lawsuits For $22M
Becton Dickinson & Co. will pay $22 million to settle four antitrust lawsuits instigated by hospitals and other buyers.
- EEOC Files Suit Against Midwest Regional Medical Center for Firing Nurse Aide With Cancer
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit against Midwest Regional Medical Center in Midwest City, Okla., alleging the hospital improperly terminated a nurse aide for taking time off work following cancer treatments.
- Maryland General Settles False Claims Suit With $750k
Maryland General Hospital in Baltimore agreed to pay $750,000 to settle a False Claims Act suit brought forth by a whistle-blower.
- 8 Maine Hospitals Sue Secretary Sebelius Over Repayment Decision
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is being sued by eight hospitals in Maine for allegedly issuing an arbitrary and unsound ruling in a dispute over disproportionate share payments.
- OIG: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Must Refund $538k
From 2008 to 2011, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia received almost $538,000 in Medicare overpayments due to incorrectly billed inpatient and outpatient claims, according to HHS' Office of Inspector General.
- Ogden Regional Medical Center Found Guilty of Retaliatory Firing
Ogden (Utah) Regional Medical Center was found guilty of retaliatory termination for firing an employee after he lodged a racism complaint against the hospital.
- Baptist Health South Florida to Pay IRS 600k Settlement Over Bond Practices
Baptist Health South Florida in Coral Gables will pay $597,751 to the Internal Revenue Service to settle an investigation into the system's 2007 bond offering.
- Riverside Methodist Hospital Faces EEOC Suit Over Firing of Narcoleptic Employee
Riverside Methodist Hospital and parent OhioHealth, both based in Columbus, Ohio, face a lawsuit from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over the hospital's termination of a narcoleptic employee.
- St. Luke's, Texas Heart Institute Postpone Court Date, Again
A court date for Texas Heart Institute's suit to free itself from St. Luke's Health System, both in Houston, was postponed for the second time.
- Pittsburgh's Case Challenging UPMC Tax Exemption to Stay in State Court
The city of Pittsburgh's challenge to University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's tax exemption will be heard in common pleas court upon a judge's ruling — not a federal court, as UPMC had requested.
- UPMC Sues Highmark Over Claims Made in Advertisements
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center filed a false advertising lawsuit against Highmark over claims made in the insurer's recent ad campaign.
- Unpaid Overtime Lawsuit Could Cost UMC Millions
University Medical Center of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas could soon face a costly class-action lawsuit over claims of unpaid overtime and other employee issues.
More Articles on Legal Issues for Hospitals and Health Systems:
New Texas Laws Combat Physician Shortage, Streamline Patient Care
OIG: Alabama Received $88.2M in Unallowable CHIP Bonus Payments
Medicare Whistle-Blower Earns $2.1M in Settlement