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.

Healthcare hacker sentenced to 10 years in prison

Robert Purbeck, 45, of Georgia was found with data on more than 132,000 individuals taken from various breaches, including multiple providers, a police station and a city government. 

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Public health contrarian RFK Jr. nominated to HHS secretary

President-elect Donald Trump said he will let Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “go wild for a little while” if his appointment is confirmed by the Senate. 

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Medtronic sued by doctor for alleged patent infringement

Shirin Towfigh, MD, and her consultancy firm, Hexagon Health, claim Medtronic is selling patented surgical mesh with a novel fin-shaped design. 

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UnitedHealth defends $3.3B Amedisys acquisition

UnitedHealth subsidiary Optum is turning to the court of public opinion to defend the merger. 

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DOJ sues to block UnitedHealth’s $3.3B acquisition of home health giant

The DOJ met with UnitedHealth execs in an attempt to resolve antitrust concerns out of court, but those talks stalled, a report claims. 

Walgreens settles class-action fraud lawsuit for $100M

The pharmacy chain is accused of charging insurance more for generic drugs than uninsured customers of its Prescription Saving Club.

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Kentucky AG launches criminal probe after conscious man nearly has organs harvested

Three years ago Anthony Hoover was declared brain dead—until he woke up on the operating room table, moments before his organs were removed. His story has spurred a criminal investigation by Kentucky's attorney general.

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New Orleans cardiologist accused of sexually assaulting patients

The 63-year-old doctor was arrested on charges of sexual battery, battery and simple assault on Oct. 30. 

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.”