Backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, 17 researchers filed a complaint Sept. 16 against NIH, accusing the agency of infringing their First Amendment rights by allegedly rejecting funding to grants with certain words or phrases.  The proposed class-action lawsuit…

Carleen Noreus, the Florida nursing school operator who pleaded guilty mid-trial in June to running a diploma-mill scheme, was sentenced Sept. 15 to 87 months in prison, according to a Sept. 16 report by the Miami Herald. The sentence, handed…

A federal judge on Sept. 14 blocked a rule that would cap J-1 and other visas at four years, one day before it was set to take effect. The Department of Homeland Security rule threatened to disrupt training for the…

A federal judge has dismissed Ballad Health’s lawsuit accusing UnitedHealth Group of denying and underpaying Medicare Advantage claims, ruling the dispute must go to arbitration. Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad sued UnitedHealth in October, alleging the insurer spent years denying valid…

Milwaukee-based Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital has delayed surgeries after finding unsterilized surgical equipment, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Sept. 11. “Nothing is more important to us than the well-being and safety of our patients. We remain committed to the…

An HHS Office for Civil Rights investigation has found the Duke School of Medicine in Durham, N.C., violated federal law by intentionally discriminating based on race in admissions. Five things to know: 1. Duke School of Medicine was notified Sept.…

Patient rights violations remain the deficiency hospitals are cited for most often by federal surveyors in 2026, according to a Becker’s analysis of CMS inspection data. Becker’s reviewed 3,587 CMS Form 2567 statements of deficiency — the reports surveyors file…

CMS released its final Medicare National Coverage Determinations for transcatheter aortic valve replacement on Sept. 10. “The streamlined and updated requirements for TAVR operators and hospitals finalized in this decision memorandum will in themselves improve access and operational efficiency, without…

The Leapfrog Group appealed a Florida judge’s March ruling Sept. 10, seeking to reverse an order that forced the patient safety watchdog to pull grades for five hospitals that declined to complete its surveys. The hospitals are part of Palm…

The Trump administration says it will mail $500 checks to nearly one million Americans in 30 states to refund what it called “overcharges” from ACA exchange fees collected under the Biden administration. On Sept. 10, the White House said insurers…