Legal & Regulatory Issues

A Davidson County (Tenn.) judge recently reversed an earlier approval of a certificate of need for a planned 56-bed HCA hospital in Spring Hill, Tenn., according to a report by The Tennessean.

The California Department of Public Health has fined 12 hospitals for failing to comply with various state licensure requirements, according to a report by KCRA 3.

In a letter to California Attorney General Jerry Brown, several state legislators are asking for an investigation into “allegations of questionable business practices” at Sutter Health, according to an article in the San Francisco Business Times.

In a federal lawsuit, two physicians are claiming that a California hospital refused them privileges because they helped start an intensive-care unit at a rival hospital, according to a report by the Fresno Bee.

A physical therapist in Troy, Mich., has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud in a scheme to bilk $1.6 million from Medicare, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The former CEO of the 99-bed Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, Vt., has sued the hospital, claiming he is owed $27,700 a month in payments for 22 months after exiting the job, according to an article by the Bennington…

The American Hospital Association released a comment letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that suggests changes to the hospital outpatient proposed payment system and ASC rule, specifically its physician supervision and quality data reporting policies.

Covenant Medical Center, a 366-bed hospital in Waterloo, Iowa, has agreed to pay $4.5 million to resolve allegations that it overcompensated five employed physicians for referrals, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Recovery audit contractor audits starting in Florida include hospital outpatient codes and differ from codes targeted in initial RAC auditing in South Carolina, according to a report by AHA News.

Piedmont Hospital, a 458-bed hospital in Atlanta, and Emory Healthcare, an Atlanta-based health system, including 587-bed Emory University Hospital, have filed appeals to prevent 300-bed Gwinnett Medical Center, in Lawrenceville, Ga., from launching an open-heart surgery program, according to a…