A federal jury has convicted a Michigan physician on 21 charges related to the unlawful distribution of prescription drugs and a patient's overdose death, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan said March 31.

A Kentucky physician and nurse practitioner were each sentenced to prison for a scheme involving healthcare fraud, kickbacks and conspiracy to commit money laundering. 

Nagaindra Srivastav of Tampa, Fla., has been sentenced to nine years in prison and ordered to pay more than $48 million in restitution after he was convicted of conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks.

The Department of Labor has filed a complaint against Advanced Care Staffing and its CEO alleging they forced employees to pay back earned wages if they quit early. 

Yolanda Pierson, a patient at Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic who was sued by the system for outstanding medical bills, testified in front of Minnesota lawmakers in support of a bill that would increase charity care transparency, the Post Bulletin reported March 30.

Former nurse Faith Naccarato was sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison for stealing fentanyl from two Kansas hospitals where she previously worked.

Oregon lawmakers are considering new measures to regulate how hospitals discharge homeless patients after 34-year-old Melissa Blake died of hypothermia after she left Salem (Ore.) Health Hospital, local news outlet KATU reported March 29.

The owner of a Utah lab pleaded guilty to his role in an $89 million fraud and kickback scheme involving genetic cancer screening tests. 

Saginaw, Mich.-based Covenant HealthCare and two physicians have paid more than $69 million in three civil settlements to resolve alleged violations of the False Claims Act.

Kettering (Ohio) Health has hired an outside firm to conduct an internal investigation into allegations of inappropriate fiscal and operational management, the Dayton Daily News reported March 27. The firm will recommend updates to processes and policies.

Major hospital groups are ramping up resistance to physician-owned hospitals, which were checked by the Affordable Care Act but have recently become subject of renewed attention.

A congressman has introduced a bill aimed at closing a "shocking loophole" that has led to Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse, Kaiser Health News reported March 28. 

A whistleblower lawsuit filed against Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Erlanger Health System alleges hospital leaders knowingly overlapped surgeries and allowed trainees to operate without physician supervision, leading to patient safety issues and illegal billing practices, Times Free Press reported March 27.

A court has awarded $20 million to a man who alleged that his left leg had to be amputated after his blood clot was misdiagnosed as sciatica by staff at Lowell (Mass.) General Hospital, according to The Boston Globe. 

The Houston-based owners of a home health company have been indicted on charges related to an alleged $8.7 million healthcare fraud scheme. 

Samer Ilayan, MD, is suing Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Corewell Health for alleged religious discrimination that resulted in his termination, ABC affiliate WXYZ reported March 27. 

Two new mothers filed complaints with the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights after they were drug tested without their knowledge or consent and then reported for neglect or abuse based on the positive test results.

Florida police arrested a former Tallahassee hospital pharmacist amid concerns over his mental health and a cache of weapons. Homemade explosives, 25 guns, body armor and hundreds of ammunition rounds were found in his car, according to the Tallahassee Democrat and CBS affiliate WCTV. 

A grand jury has indicted Deborah Sue Damron, 56, of involuntary manslaughter in the death of a patient at an adult detention center in Virginia, according to the Henry County (Va.) Sheriff's Office. 

A second New York physician is facing a manslaughter charge over the opioid overdose death of a patient, Rochester Beacon reported March 23.