From a software provider accusing Epic of anticompetitive practices to four states joining a whistleblower lawsuit against CVS Pharmacy, here are 10 recent healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements and legal developments that Becker’s has reported since May 7:
1. A federal judge upheld HHS authority to oversee and regulate proposals to the 340B Drug Pricing Program, rejecting efforts of several major pharmaceutical companies to impose rebate-based discount models without government approval.
2. UnitedHealth Group agreed to a $1.85 million settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit alleging the company violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by making unsolicited, pre-recorded or artificial voice calls to individuals without their consent.
3. Martins Ferry-based East Ohio Regional Hospital is refuting allegations made in a class-action lawsuit filed by former employees in April. The lawsuit alleges the now-closed hospital violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by not paying employees their final paychecks and by closing without giving employees the federally required 60-day notice.
4. Lewiston, Maine-based St. Mary’s Health System filed a motion to dismiss its lawsuit against HHS, which accused the department of unlawfully withholding Medicare payments from the cash-strapped system.
5. Fresno, Calif.-based Community Health System and its affiliate Physician Network Advantage agreed to pay $31.5 million to settle allegations they provided extravagant benefits to physicians in exchange for patient referrals to the system’s facilities.
6. CureIS Healthcare, a software provider focused on managed care, filed a lawsuit against health IT giant Epic Systems, accusing it of unfair competition and illegal interference.
7. The American Hospital Association and a coalition of healthcare groups, including 340B Health, the Nebraska Hospital Association and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, filed a brief in support of Nebraska’s new law reinforcing protections for the federal 340B drug discount program.
8. A California court judge rejected Providence St. Joseph Hospital’s attempt to dismiss a lawsuit alleging it unlawfully denied an emergency abortion to a woman with a life-threatening condition.
9. Four states joined a federal whistleblower lawsuit against CVS Pharmacy, alleging the company of overbilling state Medicaid programs for prescription drugs.
10. For $750 million, Columbia University and its affiliate New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City settled a class action lawsuit with 576 patients who reported sexual abuse or misconduct by a former gynecologist.
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