Legal & Regulatory Issues

A Texas anesthesiologist was sentenced to 190 years in prison for tampering with IV bags, causing one death and numerous injuries, the Justice Department said Nov. 20.

Some Texas lawmakers are moving to amend the state's strict abortion laws by introducing bills that would expand exceptions for doctors to intervene in high-risk pregnancies, ProPublica reported Nov. 19. 

The owner and operator of a Texas laboratory has been charged for his alleged role in a $79 million respiratory pathogen panel testing fraud scheme. 

Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, Ore., is facing more than $488 million in lawsuits related to a former nurse's alleged drug diversion.

CVS Health, UnitedHealth Group and Cigna have filed a lawsuit against the FTC in response to the agency's case against the nation's largest pharmacy benefit managers over inflated insulin prices, CNBC reported Nov. 19. 

Akram Boutros, MD, former CEO of Cleveland-based MetroHealth, has refiled his lawsuit against the health system and its board of trustees, alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and defamation.

Fresno, Calif.-based Community Health System filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit alleging it misused $1 billion in tax dollars intended to serve low-income patients, Fresnoland reported Nov. 15.

Mid-Valley Hospital and Clinic in Omak, Wash., has agreed to pay a $15,000 penalty for violations of the Controlled Substances Act and to implement changes to its pharmacy and controlled substances policies.

Leaders from Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare and Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems are expecting less antitrust scrutiny under the incoming Trump administration's Federal Trade Commission. 

The owner of a Michigan home health company was sentenced to three years and five months in prison for his role in a $7.9 million Medicare fraud scheme.