Legal & Regulatory Issues

The Justice Department has begun a federal investigation into Louisville, Ky.-based Humana over allegations the health insurance company overcharged the government for services provided to patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, according to The Center for Public Integrity.

Atlanta-based LabMD has filed an appeal of a Georgia federal court's dismissal of its lawsuit alleging the FTC does not have the power to broadly regulate data security and the FTC failed to inform LabMD of how its data security…

Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based Adventist Health System has disclosed it violated the Stark Law, according to an Orlando Business Journal report.

The Medicare Fraud Strike Force is a multi-agency team of federal, state and local investigators who work together in cities across the nation to combat Medicare fraud.

A federal jury in the Northern District of Texas has convicted Joseph Megwa, MD, for his participation in a $3 million Medical fraud scheme, according to the Department of Justice.

The following is a roundup of lawsuit updates, court holdings and settlements that involve the healthcare industry.

The federal class-action lawsuit against Pittsburgh-based UPMC and Weston, Fla.-based Ultimate Software Group, UPMC's payroll software provider, has dismissed by the whistle-blower who filed the case, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report.

Law enforcement have made 90 arrests concerning more than $260 million in false claims to the government in a nationwide Medicare fraud sweep, according to the Department of Justice.

HHS' Office of the Inspector General has proposed a rule that would expand the imposition of civil monetary penalties on healthcare organizations and providers.

California Senate Bill 1159, recently passed in the state Senate, would allow undocumented immigrants to practice medicine, according to a Los Angeles Times report.