From St. Louis-based Ascension Health agreeing to pay a $29.5 million settlement over allegations of improperly exempting a retirement plan from federal law to an anesthesiologist filing four antitrust complaints against Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., here are the latest healthcare industry lawsuits and settlements making headlines.
1. CarePoint Health, Horizon BCBS resolve $76M billing dispute
Jersey City, N.J.-based CarePoint Health and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield resolved a more than 2-year-old contract dispute and $76 million lawsuit over billing.
2. Ascension to pay $29.5M settlement in pension lawsuit
St. Louis-based Ascension Health ended a class-action lawsuit filed against the system and subsidiary Wheaton Franciscan Services in Glendale, Wis., alleging Wheaton erroneously treated its pension plan as a "church plan" exempt from the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
3. Anesthesiologist files 4 antitrust complaints against Mayo Clinic
Matthew Kumar, MD, filed four antitrust complaints since 2015 against his longtime employer, Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic Health System.
4. Tennessee home health providers to pay $1.8M for improper Medicare billing
Six affiliated home health providers in Chattanooga, Tenn., agreed to pay the federal government $1.8 million to resolve allegations it improperly billed Medicare.
5. Dallas lab accused of $100M kickback scheme files lawsuit to maintain federal license
Lawyers representing Next Health, a Dallas-based laboratory network and majority owner of Medicus Laboratories in Dallas, filed a lawsuit to halt state and federal officials from retracting or suspending its federal licenses.
6. AG sues Washington hospital over charity care
The state of Washington is suing St. Joseph's Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash., over allegations it violated the state's Consumer Protection Act, since 2012, by illegally withholding charity care from tens of thousands of patients.
7. Christus Health, subsidiary to pay $12.2M to settle false claims allegations
Santa Fe, New Mexico-based Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center and parent organization Christus Health in Irving, Texas, agreed to pay $12.24 million plus interest to resolve allegations they violated the False Claims Act.