The Justice Department and HHS have launched a joint False Claims Act Working Group to intensify efforts at combatting fraud and abuse in the federal healthcare system. The group builds on a long-standing partnership between the agencies in enforcing the…
Legal & Regulatory Issues
California and 19 other states filed a federal lawsuit July 1 against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, alleging the agency unlawfully shared Medicaid beneficiaries’ personal health data with immigration enforcement authorities. The complaint, filed in the U.S.…
A preliminary injunction was granted July 1 by a federal judge that halts the Trump administration’s plan to downsize and reorganize HHS. In late March, HHS shared plans to lay off 10,000 full-time employees to save $1.8 billion annually for…
A federal investigation of a suspected COVID-19 testing fraud-and-kickback scheme involving Chicago’s Loretto Hospital has netted the indictment of a former Chicago-area resident living in Florida, the Chicago Tribune reported. Jamil Elkoussa, 35, of Orlando, Fla., and previously of Orland…
New Hampshire has become the third state to legally change the “physician assistant” title to “physician associate,” following Oregon and Maine. A bipartisan study committee in New Hampshire found the term “assistant” can create confusion about a PA’s role and…
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A jury has awarded $27.5 million to the former chief nursing officer of St. Mary Medical Center Long Beach (Calif.) in a retaliation lawsuit. Here’s what to know: 1. Nancy Valla, BSN, RN, was appointed CNO at the hospital in…
The Justice Department, through its 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown investigation, has charged 324 defendants in schemes involving more than $14.6 billion in intended losses to Medicare, Medicaid and other government programs. Five things to know: 1. The 2025…
On July 1, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein signed a bill into law to enter the Physician Assistant Licensure Compact, which allows PAs to practice outside the state where they were licensed. North Carolina joins 18 others states in the…
A federal judge has rejected Johnson & Johnson’s challenge to block its proposed rebate model under the 340B Drug Pricing Program, Bloomberg Law reported June 27. Judge Rudolph Contreras of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled…
A Michigan physician was sentenced to four years in prison for her role in a $6.3 million Medicare fraud scheme. What happened?