Legal & Regulatory Issues

From a Texas hospital suffering a setback in its lawsuit against a major insurer over network exclusion to a California hospital agreeing to pay $7.5 million to settle a data breach class-action case, here are the latest healthcare industry lawsuits…

A driver crashed his vehicle into the emergency department at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, N.C., early Thursday morning, killing a patient in the ER waiting room, according to a WNCN news report.

The following is a roundup of recently introduced legislation and legislative developments affecting the healthcare industry.

Carlos Medina, owner of two medical clinics in the Miami area, has received a prison sentence just shy of 7 years — 82 months, precisely — for his role in a Medicare fraud scheme, according to the Department of Justice.

Boston-based Steward Health Care and New Bedford, Mass.-based Southcoast Health System are involved in a bitter struggle over market share, and Southcoast suffered a setback in the battle this week.

The U.S. Supreme Court March 23 will hear a fourth challenge of the Affordable Care Act, one that focuses on a controversial mandate that employer-sponsored health plans cover contraceptives and the opt-out that allows women to obtain contraception coverage elsewhere.

While the merger between Hartford, Conn.-based based Aetna and Louisville, Ky.-based Humana has not been officially approved, leaders from both insurers are working to ensure their cultures align, according to Louisville Business First.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, which has been in hot water this year due to problems due to a new system, has shared four thoughts on how to improve the Affordable Care Act, according to The News…

In an effort to improve patient care quality and decrease coverage costs, Covered California — California's Affordable Care Act insurance marketplace — is considering removing low-performing or high cost hospitals from its network, according to NPR.

Police were in hot pursuit this morning of a 38-year-old woman who stole an ambulance from Oklahoma City, Okla.-based St. Anthony Hospital early Friday morning, according to a report from KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City.