Two people were arrested in Texas for allegedly submitting fake COVID-19 testing claims to seven payers, totaling more than $7 million in fraudulent claims, the Justice Department said. 

Attorneys have filed a class-action lawsuit against Charlottesville, Va.-based UVA Health on behalf of several hundred former employees and job applicants, accusing the health system of systematically refusing religious accommodations to the COVID-19 vaccine requirement.

Attorneys for three executives of Healthcare Conglomerate Associates, a hospital management firm based in Tulare, Calif., are accusing Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward of biased prosecution — claims that, depending on court action, could force the recusal of Mr. Ward's office from cases against the executives, the Valley Voice reported Dec. 15.

A nurse practitioner is suing the Department of Veterans Affairs, alleging the agency's policy to offer abortion services violates her religious beliefs. 

Akram Boutros, MD, who was fired as president and CEO of Cleveland-based MetroHealth, filed a new lawsuit against the health system alleging breach of contract, according to court documents shared with Becker's.

A Connecticut physician and the medical practice he owns have agreed to pay more than $4.2 million to settle allegations he submitted false claims to Medicare and the state's Medicaid program for medically unnecessary services. 

A nurse has been sentenced to 37 months in prison for tampering with and stealing controlled medications while working at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, N.Y., the Justice Department said Dec. 13.

A Georgia laboratory owner has been convicted of fraudulently claiming money from Medicare for expensive genetic testing that wasn't necessary, enriching himself with over $21 million in the process.

Colorado Springs, Colo., surgeon Tiffany Willard, MD, was ordered to pay nearly $1 million to a former patient, ABC affiliate KRDO reported Dec. 12.

From Dignity Health and two Tenet affiliates agreeing to a $22.5 million settlement, to a Florida physician getting more than three years in prison for his role in a $4.5 million scheme, here are 11 healthcare billing fraud cases Becker's has reported since Dec. 2.  

A Connecticut psychologist pleaded guilty to $2.6 million in billing fraud, the Justice Department said Dec. 13. 

Former Cape Cod Hospital cardiovascular medical director Richard Zelman, MD, is suing the Barnstable, Mass.-based hospital and CEO Michael Lauf for alleged whistleblower retaliation and defamation, The Boston Globe reported Dec. 8.

A pharmacy worker and the owner of a separate pharmacy were arrested Dec. 8 for their alleged role in a Medicare and Medicaid fraud scheme that reached $10.5 million via medically unnecessary prescriptions, according to a Justice Department news release. 

The federal government cannot compel Catholic healthcare providers to perform gender-affirming surgeries under an HHS regulation that bans sex discrimination in healthcare, a U.S. appeals court ruled Dec. 9. 

A federal judge has ruled that a Montana law that prohibited employers from discriminating against workers based on their vaccination status is unconstitutional in healthcare settings, the Montana Free Press reported Dec. 9.

New Mexico sued Alta Vista Regional Medical Center in Las Vegas, N.M., and its owner Quorum Health Resources, alleging the hospital engaged in false advertising and overcharging patients.

A Dallas County grand jury has indicted the man accused of fatally shooting two workers inside Methodist Dallas Medical Center in October, The Dallas Morning News reported Dec. 9, citing court records. 

Neurosurgeon Lokesh Tantuwaya, MD, on Dec. 9 was sentenced to five years in prison for accepting $3.3 million in bribes — which he was also ordered to forfeit — to perform spine surgeries at the now-defunct Pacific Hospital in Long Beach, Calif., according to The Times of San Diego.

Worcester, Mass.-based St. Vincent Hospital will pay more than $1.78 million to settle allegations it received impermissible payments from Medicare by inflating charges and failed to fully reimburse the government. 

The owner of a medical marketing company has been charged in connection to an alleged scheme that defrauded federal payers out of at least $64 million.