Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Health
-
November 04, 2024
Kroger, State AGs Finalize Sprawling $1.37B Opioid Deal
Kroger will pay $1.37 billion to dozens of states and thousands of counties, municipalities and Native American tribes to resolve allegations the grocery store chain contributed to the opioid crisis, with Ohio, California and Texas seeing the largest distributions, according to a finalized settlement unveiled Monday.
-
November 04, 2024
DOD Trans Healthcare Denial Discriminates, Judge Rules
A Maine federal judge ruled Monday that the U.S. Department of Defense's denial of healthcare coverage for two transgender women's gender-confirmation surgeries violates the Fifth Amendment's equal protection clause, finding that the way the department applied a statutory exclusion discriminated based on sex and transgender status.
-
November 04, 2024
Whistleblowers Win Cut Of Medical Kickback Settlement
Three whistleblowers who tipped off the federal government to a medical device company's multimillion-dollar kickback scheme are entitled to a cut of the $3 million in False Claims Act settlements paid by surgeons who admitted participating in the sham consulting ploy, a Boston federal judge ruled Monday.
-
November 04, 2024
Sanctions Lessened Against Testing Co. That 'Duped' Judge
A California federal judge Monday lessened sanctions imposed on Natera Inc. in a false advertising case first brought by rival Guardant Health Inc., allowing some clinical cancer study evidence to be presented at a trial starting Tuesday despite his earlier finding that Natera's expert and counsel had "duped" the court.
-
November 04, 2024
With Lawsuit Pending, Nebraskans To Vote On Medical Pot
A pair of initiatives to legalize medical marijuana in Nebraska and regulate its sale will appear on the ballot on Election Day, but a pending legal challenge whose trial concluded Monday means it is unclear whether the initiatives will take effect even if they do get voter approval.
-
November 04, 2024
Del. Judge To Approve Avante Ch. 11 Financing
A Delaware bankruptcy judge Monday agreed to approve debtor-in-possession financing for Jordan Health, the corporate parent of medical equipment service provider Avante Health, after the debtor and DIP lender struck a deal with the official committee of unsecured creditors.
-
November 04, 2024
Debt Collectors Sue Over CFPB's Guidance On Medical Debt
A debt collection trade group has sued the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in Washington, D.C., federal court to overturn recent guidance that warned collectors about seeking payment on potentially inflated or unverified medical bills, slamming it as an "overtly political" end-run around proper rulemaking.
-
November 04, 2024
Cigna Scores $7.3M Verdict Against Fla. Drug Testing Labs
A Connecticut federal jury on Monday handed Cigna Health and Life Insurance Co. a victory against three Florida boutique drug testing laboratories, finding the labs unjustly billed nearly $7.3 million for tests on substance abuse patients that the insurer declared medically unnecessary.
-
November 04, 2024
NY AG Seeks Contempt For Anti-Abortion Org's 'Interference'
Counsel for the New York attorney general asked a federal judge Monday to hold an anti-abortion group in contempt for allegedly seeking to interfere with women's access to clinics despite an injunction, prompting questions about the limits of an advocate's civil rights.
-
November 04, 2024
VA Accused Of Choosing 'Pass-Through' Co. For $257M Deal
A veteran-owned small business has challenged a $256.8 million U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs telehealth program support contract, saying the VA wrongly chose a small business joint venture that effectively served as a pass-through for a larger company.
-
November 04, 2024
Yale Gets 2nd Circ. Win In COVID Test Reimbursement Row
A Connecticut medical practice can't sue Yale University under federal legislation enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic to recover the $1.1 million it said it incurred while providing COVID testing to university health plan members, the Second Circuit ruled Monday, finding no private cause of action existed.
-
November 04, 2024
McKesson Inks $450K DOL Deal Following Hiring Bias Probe
The U.S. Department of Labor announced Monday that McKesson Medical-Surgical Inc. has agreed to pay nearly $450,000 to resolve the agency's claims that it gave hiring preferences to Asian job applicants over Black, Hispanic and white job hopefuls.
-
November 04, 2024
MultiPlan Judge Raises Eyebrows At Attys' Biz Flight Billing
Counsel leading multidistrict litigation over Multiplan's pricing tools quickly revised their plans Monday for attorneys who take longer flights for the case, after an Illinois federal judge questioned why certain travelers received special treatment "arguably on the class's dime."
-
November 04, 2024
Hospital Can't Undo Widow's $5M Win Over Husband's Suicide
An Illinois state appeals court won't upend a $5 million verdict awarded to a widow against a Cook County hospital in a suit over her husband's death by suicide, finding that the widow's expert testimony was enough for a jury to conclude that the doctor's negligence led to the death.
-
November 04, 2024
Rehab Sued Over Staffer's Alleged Relationship With Patient
The father of a patient at a Newport Academy treatment center is alleging in federal court that one of the facility's care coordinators engaged in an inappropriate relationship while his son was a minor in the residential treatment program.
-
November 04, 2024
Walgreens To Pay $100M In Suit Alleging Inflated Drug Prices
Walgreens has agreed to hand over $100 million to settle claims from consumers and unions that it unlawfully overcharged insured consumers for prescription drugs while allowing members of its cost savings club to pay less, according to an Illinois federal court filing.
-
November 04, 2024
NJ Health System Hits Ch. 11 With Plans To Restructure Debt
A New Jersey nonprofit that operates three hospitals filed for Chapter 11 in Delaware, saying it faced increased operating costs after COVID-19 and hopes to restructure its debt.
-
November 01, 2024
COVID Death Suit Not Barred By PREP Act, 11th Circ. Affirms
A split Eleventh Circuit affirmed a lower court's decision Thursday to remand to state court a lawsuit over a nursing home resident's COVID-19 death, finding preemption may cover a defendant sued for following federal public health emergency guidelines, but not when, as in the instant case, the guidelines were allegedly unheeded.
-
November 01, 2024
Elevance Says Flawed Medicare Rating System Cost It $375M
Elevance Health Inc. has hit the Biden administration with a $375 million lawsuit in Texas federal court after the government slashed star ratings for its Medicare Advantage and Part D health plan contracts in the latest of multiple lawsuits by insurance companies challenging the government's rating system.
-
November 01, 2024
Suit Says Nursing Home Let Resident Fatally Fall Down Stairs
A Pittsburgh-area nursing home failed to recognize the high level of supervision needed for a resident prone to wandering off, and left her alone long enough that she rolled her wheelchair down a flight of stairs and died, her family said in a lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania state court.
-
November 01, 2024
Construction Co. Must Face 'COVID Building' Fall Suit
An Indiana appeals court has reinstated a suit against a construction company blaming it for causing a woman's injuries after she tripped on a brace that had been left after the construction of a temporary "COVID building" next to a hospital's emergency room, saying the woman's injuries were foreseeable.
-
November 01, 2024
Colo. To Boost Services To End Feds' ADA Discrimination Suit
Colorado has agreed to implement new housing and support practices to ensure adults with physical disabilities have adequate help to leave nursing facilities and receive services in their own homes, as part of a settlement announced Friday to end a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit.
-
November 01, 2024
Health Data Co. Urges 4th Circ. To Keep Access Open
Nursing home data analytics company Real Time Medical Systems urged the Fourth Circuit on Friday to keep in place an order that stops electronic medical records company PointClickCare from using unsolvable captcha prompts to block access to patient records.
-
November 01, 2024
Medisca Inks $22M FCA Deal Over Ingredient Pricing Scheme
Pharmaceutical chemical supplier Medisca Inc. has agreed to pay $21.75 million to resolve allegations it created false and inflated average wholesale prices for ingredients used in compound prescriptions sold to pharmacies that increased reimbursement and caused federal healthcare programs to pay more for them, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Friday.
-
November 01, 2024
UChicago Must Face Student's Disability Discrimination Claim
A University of Chicago medical student who was dismissed for creating a fake email account to send an instructor evaluations can pursue his claim that the university illegally tied his multiple mental and physical disabilities to his dismissal, but he must drop his claim that the university failed to accommodate those disabilities, an Illinois federal judge said Thursday.
Expert Analysis
-
Recent Developments In Insurance Coverage For FCA Claims
As the U.S. Department of Justice continues its vigorous False Claims Act enforcement, companies looking to their insurers to help defray the costs of an investigation or settlement should note recent decisions on which types of policies cover FCA claims, which policy periods apply and which portions of FCA-related losses are covered, say attorneys at Covington.
-
Opinion
PREVAIL Bill Is Another Misguided Attempt To Restrict PTAB
The decade-long campaign against the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Patent Trial and Appeal Board — currently focused on the PREVAIL Act that's slated for markup in the Senate — is not really about procedural issues, and it is not aimed at securing more accurate patentability decisions, says Clear IP's Joseph Matal, former acting director at the USPTO.
-
Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being
As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.
-
Empathy In Mediation Offers A Soft Landing For Disputes
Experiencing a crash-landing on a recent flight underscored to me how much difference empathy makes in times of crisis or stress, including during mediation, says Eydith Kaufman at Alternative Resolution Centers.
-
Series
Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.
-
How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources
Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.
-
Newly Acquired Information Can Be Key In Drug Label Cases
The question of whether federal law preempts state law claims is often central in pharmaceutical labeling cases, like the Fosamax litigation now before the Third Circuit — but parties must also consider whether there is newly acquired information to justify submitting a proposed labeling change in the first place, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
-
Justices Face Tough Question On HHS Hospital Pay Formula
In Advocate Christ Medical Center v. Becerra, the U.S. Supreme Court will determine whether the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services properly applied certain Medicare reimbursement adjustments to hospitals — a decision that could significantly affect hospitals' ability to seek higher Medicare reimbursement for low-income patients, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
-
How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment
Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.
-
Key Healthcare Issues That Hinge On The Election Outcome
The 2024 presidential race, while not heavily dominated by healthcare issues compared to past elections, holds significant implications for the direction of healthcare policy in a potential Harris or Trump administration, encompassing issues ranging from Medicare to artificial intelligence, says Miranda Franco at Holland & Knight.
-
Patent Lessons From 4 Federal Circuit Reversals In September
Cases that were reversed or vacated by the Federal Circuit last month provide helpful clarity on collateral estoppel, patent eligibility, construction of claim terms that have different boundaries across different claims, and the role of courts as neutral arbiter, say attorneys at Bunsow De Mory.
-
Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity
Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.
-
Fostering Healthcare Industry Success With Joint Ventures
As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, joint ventures remain a key strategy to unite health systems, private equity firms and physician practices in leveraging their collective strengths to foster innovation and improve patient care, say Carole Becker and Travis Jackson at McDermott.
-
Opinion
Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules
The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.
-
The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO
The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.