Legal News

Stories about physicians and other healthcare professionals involved in lawsuits—as either a plaintiff or a defendantor accused of breaking the law. Various legal updates or unusual stories in the news may land here.

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Man awarded $412M malpractice judgment—the largest in history

The man, Michael, was left with permanent damage to his penis after he was upsold injections by a physician assistant at NuMale Medical Center. A jury found the defendants acted negligently and committed fraud. 

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Anesthesiologist gets 190 years for injecting drugs into IV bags

The IV bags caused multiple patients to experience severe cardiac distress. The judge who sentenced former doctor Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr. said his actions were “tantamount to attempted murder."

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Michigan doctor claims he was fired for reporting unnecessary pacemaker surgeries

Daniel West, MD, is suing Trinity Health Muskegon and seeking whistleblower protection after reporting alleged malpractice and being summarily terminated.

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UnitedHealth successfully sues CMS over disputed phone call

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services violated the Administrative Procedure Act by allowing a single phone call made by a contractor to determine a Medicare Advantage star rating, a federal judge ruled. 

Federal police seize phones of Steward Health Care executives

According to a report from the Boston Globe, the search warrants were executed as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into executives at the bankrupt health system.

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Texas clinics face potential $300M fine for submitting 20K false claims

A jury found Healthcare Associates of Texas guilty of knowingly submitting tens of thousands of fraudulent claims to Medicare, costing the government more than $2.8 million. 

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Texas AG sues hospital for $10K after off-duty police barred from carrying guns

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton claims Memorial Hermann Health System violated a state law that authorizes any establishment serving the public to allow police officers to carry firearms, even if they’re dressed in civilian clothing. 

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PBMs sue FTC for alleged Fifth Amendment violation

Caremark, Express Scripts and Optum Rx claim the FTC’s internal administrative court is unconstitutional. The agency sued the PBMs in September, claiming they engage in collusive business practices. 

Around the web

Compensation for heart specialists continues to climb. What does this say about cardiology as a whole? Could private equity's rising influence bring about change? We spoke to MedAxiom CEO Jerry Blackwell, MD, MBA, a veteran cardiologist himself, to learn more.

The American College of Cardiology has shared its perspective on new CMS payment policies, highlighting revenue concerns while providing key details for cardiologists and other cardiology professionals. 

As debate simmers over how best to regulate AI, experts continue to offer guidance on where to start, how to proceed and what to emphasize. A new resource models its recommendations on what its authors call the “SETO Loop.”