A self-funded employer in Louisiana is suing Knoxville, Tenn.-based TeamHealth over what it considers inappropriate billing and "systematic overcharges." 

Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Cottage Health sued Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente, alleging the insurer routinely underpaid claims, according to the Santa Barbara Independent.

Jury selection began March 21 for the trial of RaDonda Leanne Vaught, a former nurse facing criminal charges over a fatal medication error, according to CBS affiliate WTVF. 

From 12 physicians receiving prison sentences in a $250 million billing fraud scheme to a Tennessee court allowing the Justice Department to intervene in an $800 million fraud case against Memphis, Tenn.-based Methodist Le Bonheur, here are seven healthcare billing fraud cases that made headlines since March 1:

Buffalo, N.Y.-based Kaleida Health is suing its insurance provider, American Guarantee and Liability Insurance Co., arguing it should cover $228 million in losses tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Buffalo News reported March 21. 

A woman has been sentenced to serve 15 months in federal prison for defrauding patients of a Metairie, La.-based medical clinic.

Louisiana residents Denis and Donna Joachim were sentenced March 17 for creating, marketing and operating a $48 million fraudulent medical reimbursement program, according to a Justice Department news release.

Former Virginia physician Leonard Rosen, MD, was sentenced March 18 for his role in a $1.8 million fraud scheme that exploited payers and patients, according to The Washington Post.

From a health system defeating an antitrust lawsuit to a defunct Arkansas hospital sued for allegedly failing to protect patient information, here are the latest hospital lawsuits making headlines. 

The Arkansas attorney general filed a lawsuit March 17 against a defunct hospital accusing it of failing to protect sensitive patient information after it closed.

The Justice Department can intervene in a lawsuit accusing Methodist Le Bonheur of orchestrating a kickback scheme and submitting hundreds of millions of dollars in false claims, the Commercial Appeal reported March 15. 

Democrats in both chambers of Congress introduced a bill March 16 that would require the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department to overhaul their merger processes, according to Politico. 

A patient filed a putative class-action lawsuit against Charlotte, N.C.-based Novant Health, accusing the health system of charging a hidden fee for emergency room visits. 

Idaho on March 14 passed legislation that would ban abortions after about six weeks and allow families to sue clinicians who perform the procedures. The bill is modeled after Texas' law, which took effect last September, according to The New York Times. 

Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health has defeated a $411 million class-action lawsuit alleging that it used its market power to negotiate restrictive contracts with major insurers and overcharge millions of premium-paying patients, according to Law360.

A California physician and a patient recruiter were charged with bilking Medicare out of more than $36 million, the Justice Department said this week.

UMass Memorial Health employees have filed a lawsuit against the Worcester, Mass.-based system, claiming they did not receive wages owed to them after hackers infiltrated the payroll system in December.

From the Colorado Supreme Court reviewing a medical billing case to a health insurance company suing a former executive, here are the latest healthcare industry lawsuits and settlements making headlines. 

Twelve physicians in Michigan and Ohio were among 16 defendants sentenced to prison for a healthcare fraud scheme that involved submitting $250 million in false billings to insurers, the Justice Department said March 9. 

A patient at Saint Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C., has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of a fellow patient, local police said March 9.