From health groups suing HHS over a rule that could invalidate thousands of regulations to a health insurer suing a cloud vendor over data exposed during a cyberattack, here are the latest healthcare industry lawsuits and settlements making headlines.
1. 'Ticking time bomb' could invalidate thousands of health regulations, lawsuit says
A coalition of health groups and others sued HHS March 9 over a Trump administration rule that was finalized the day before President Joe Biden's inauguration.
2. Former Surgical Care Affiliates director sues UnitedHealth, others over alleged 'no-poach' agreements
A former employee of Surgical Care Affiliates sued the company, UnitedHealth Group and Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare subsidiary United Surgical Partners International, claiming they all agreed to not compete for senior-level executives.
3. Sutter Health $575M antitrust settlement gets preliminary approval; separate antitrust suit heads to court
A judge granted preliminary approval of a Sutter Health $575 million antitrust settlement more than a year after it was reached. The settlement was initially reach in December 2019 by Sutter and the parties that sued the Sacramento, Calif.-based system, including California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, unions and other employers.
4. Centene sues cloud vendor over member data exposed in cyberattack
St. Louis-based health insurer Centene filed a lawsuit March 11 against Accellion over a recent cyberattack on the vendor's cloud data platform that exposed personal information of a Centene subsidiary insurer.
5. UnitedHealthcare's motion to dismiss class-action suit on cancer therapy coverage denied
A class-action lawsuit accusing UnitedHealthcare of improperly denying a cancer treatment known as proton beam therapy moved forward after a federal judge refused to toss the case.
6. Colorado hospital must face class action over alleged unpaid, off-the-clock work, court rules
A federal judge revived a class-action lawsuit alleging Delta (Colo.) County Memorial Hospital District did not compensate for off-the-clock work performed by hourly staff.
7. Michigan healthcare CEO gets 15 years in prison for $150M fraud
The CEO of a chain of medical clinics in Michigan and Ohio was sentenced March 3 to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay $51 million in restitution for his role in a $150 million healthcare fraud scheme.
8. Ohio sues Centene, claims misrepresented pharmacy expenses cost Medicaid millions
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed a lawsuit against Centene March 11, claiming the company's subsidiary, Buckeye Health Plan, used a web of subcontractors to misrepresent pharmacy costs, which led to millions of dollars in overpayments by the state's Medicaid department.
9. BCBS of Minnesota sues Vyera Pharmaceuticals, Martin Shkreli, claiming illegal drug pricing
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota filed a class-action lawsuit against Vyera Pharmaceuticals — the rebranded company of Martin Shkreli's Turing Pharmaceuticals — and its parent Phoenixus claiming they illegally priced its antimalarial medication.
10. Aetna accuses Mednax of destroying evidence in $50M overbilling suit
Aetna asked a Pennsylvania court to sanction Mednax for allegedly destroying evidence in a lawsuit that accuses the Sunrise, Fla.-based medical group of overbilling the health insurer.
11. New York surgeon to pay $783K to resolve fraudulent billing case
A New York vascular surgeon and his medical practice agreed to pay $783,200 to resolve a civil case alleging fraudulent billing.
12. Virginia medical group to pay $2.1M to settle billing fraud case
Allergy and Asthma Associates, a medical practice in Roanoke, Va., agreed to pay $2.1 million to resolve allegations of fraudulent billing.
13. Former Maine hospital housekeeping director says he was fired for raising safety concerns
A man who worked as a housekeeping director at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, Maine, filed a lawsuit alleging he was fired in retaliation for reporting staffing and safety concerns.
14. UnitedHealthcare's $100M lawsuit against medical labs moves forward
A lawsuit filed by UnitedHealthcare that accuses medical labs of operating a $100 million billing scheme will move forward after a judge denied some of the defendants' motions to dismiss the claims.
15. US settles antitrust case against Geisinger, Evangelical
The U.S. Justice Department reached a settlement to resolve an antitrust lawsuit challenging Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger's partial acquisition of a 132-bed hospital in Lewisburg, Pa.
16. California nursing home to pay $275K to settle allegations it pushed out residents in favor of more profitable patients
Lakeview Terrace Skilled Nursing Facility in Los Angeles will pay $275,000 in penalties and costs as part of a settlement from a lawsuit that accused the facility of discharging long-term residents to make room for more COVID-19 patients, who are more profitable due to higher Medicare reimbursement payments.