From an EHR provider suing the Department of Veterans Affairs to physicians filing a lawsuit against a third-party billing company, here are the latest healthcare industry lawsuits and settlements making headlines.
1. ACA architect Jonathan Gruber settles false billing claims with Vermont
The Vermont Attorney General's Office agreed to settle a false claims case for $90,000 against Jonathan Gruber, PhD, an economist contracted by Vermont to model a single-payer healthcare system.
2. St. Agnes Healthcare to pay nearly $123k to resolve false claims allegations over Medicare billing
Baltimore-based St. Agnes Healthcare agreed to a $122,928 settlement to resolve allegations it overbilled Medicare for evaluation and management services.
3. CliniComp sues VA over Cerner contract: 4 things to know
CliniComp, a San Diego-based EHR provider, filed a lawsuit Aug. 18 against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs over the department's decision to tap Cerner for its systemwide EHR in a no-bid contract in June.
4. Insurer sues feds over $38.7M in risk corridors payments
HealthNow New York, a Buffalo-based insurer and umbrella company of BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York in Buffalo, sued the federal government claiming it is owed more than $38.7 million under the ACA's risk corridors program.
5. Dallas-area physicians sue out-of-network billing company for allegedly overstating reimbursements
Plano, Texas-based Neuron Shield Partners, a physician group monitoring patients' nervous systems during procedures like spine surgery, sued Medical Practice Solutions, a third-party billing company also in Plano, for allegedly exaggerating the out-of-network payments it could recoup from payers.
6. Rush files suit over $18M patient monitoring system
Chicago-based Rush University Medical Center filed a lawsuit over a patient monitoring system that allegedly put patient safety at risk.
7. Nurse sues CHI St. Luke's, alleges health system forced nurses to work through breaks without pay
A nurse sued Houston-based CHI St. Luke's Health System, alleging hospital administration required nurses to work without pay during their meal breaks.
8. Lovelace reaches settlement with New Mexico AG over alleged $300M Medicaid fraud scheme
Albuquerque, N.M.-based Lovelace Health System settled allegations it defrauded the state's Medicaid program of roughly $300 million in taxes beginning in 1989 and spanning nearly two decades.
9. Louisville files lawsuit against 3 opioid wholesalers
The Louisville Metro Government filed a lawsuit against three opioid distributors, alleging they failed to disclose suspicious orders of prescription opioids to the Drug Enforcement Administration and thus contributed to the proliferation of opioids in the city.
More articles on legal and regulatory issues:
Operators of nearly 300 cancer treatment centers accused of illegally dividing up Florida market
Former director of finance charged with embezzling $1.5M from UNC hospital
Physician who claimed to have 11k patients sentenced to 35 years in prison