A federal judge on Sept. 14 blocked a rule that would cap J-1 and other visas at four years, one day before it was set to take effect. The Department of Homeland Security rule threatened to disrupt training for the…
Legal & Regulatory Issues
A federal judge has dismissed Ballad Health’s lawsuit accusing UnitedHealth Group of denying and underpaying Medicare Advantage claims, ruling the dispute must go to arbitration. Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad sued UnitedHealth in October, alleging the insurer spent years denying valid…
Milwaukee-based Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital has delayed surgeries after finding unsterilized surgical equipment, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Sept. 11. “Nothing is more important to us than the well-being and safety of our patients. We remain committed to the…
An HHS Office for Civil Rights investigation has found the Duke School of Medicine in Durham, N.C., violated federal law by intentionally discriminating based on race in admissions. Five things to know: 1. Duke School of Medicine was notified Sept.…
Patient rights violations remain the deficiency hospitals are cited for most often by federal surveyors in 2026, according to a Becker’s analysis of CMS inspection data. Becker’s reviewed 3,587 CMS Form 2567 statements of deficiency — the reports surveyors file…
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CMS released its final Medicare National Coverage Determinations for transcatheter aortic valve replacement on Sept. 10. “The streamlined and updated requirements for TAVR operators and hospitals finalized in this decision memorandum will in themselves improve access and operational efficiency, without…
The Leapfrog Group appealed a Florida judge’s March ruling Sept. 10, seeking to reverse an order that forced the patient safety watchdog to pull grades for five hospitals that declined to complete its surveys. The hospitals are part of Palm…
The Trump administration says it will mail $500 checks to nearly one million Americans in 30 states to refund what it called “overcharges” from ACA exchange fees collected under the Biden administration. On Sept. 10, the White House said insurers…
San Francisco-based Dignity Health and Dignity Community Care filed a lawsuit against Gold Coast Health Plan Aug. 24, alleging more than $30 million in unpaid bills. The Dignity entities, under Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health, include St. John’s hospitals in Ventura County,…
From The Village Health agreeing to pay more than $500 million to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act, to a Georgian national indicted for his role in an alleged $1.3 billion scheme, here are 10 healthcare billing fraud…