Former Florida physician Michael Ligotti, DO, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty in October in the Justice Department’s largest addiction fraud treatment case ever, the department said Jan. 9.
Category: Legal & Regulatory Issues
UMMS refused to perform gender-affirming surgery; federal court ruled discrimination
The Baltimore-based University of Maryland Medical System scheduled a gender-affirming surgery for a transgender man, but canceled it the night before the procedure was set to take place. That was a violation of the Affordable Care Act, a federal court…
Texas lab owners charged in $107M Medicare fraud scheme
Three men who owned and operated a Texas genetic testing laboratory have been charged in an alleged $107 million Medicare fraud scheme.
3 women charged in $71K health system payroll scam
Three women have been charged with third-degree theft and conspiracy to commit theft after plotting to steal more than $70,000 from Morristown, N.J.-based Atlantic Health System, NJ.com reported Jan. 5.
New York physician gets 30 months in prison for Medicare fraud
New York gastroenterologist Morris Barnard, MD, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for healthcare fraud, the Justice Department said Jan. 5.
Patient shot by off-duty officer in hospital gets $900K
Alan Pean, who was shot in his hospital room by an off-duty police officer during a mental health crisis, won $902,500 in a settlement with the city of Houston, the Texas Observer reported Jan. 4.
Franciscan appeals judge's upheld order to keep ER open for 9 months
A judge upheld his order for Franciscan Health to keep its emergency room in Hammond, Ind., open for nine months despite the system arguing that doing so is unsafe. The health system is now appealing that decision.
Physician group backs controversial Texas hospital
Physician-Led Healthcare for America said the expansion of a physician-owned hospital near the Texas-Mexico border is a “win” for patients.
AmerisourceBergen sued again for alleged opioid violations
The Justice Department sued drug distributor AmerisourceBergen, one of the largest in the nation, over allegedly failing to flag suspicious orders for opioids and other controlled substances, according to a Dec. 29 news release.
Franciscan says keeping ER open, per court order, is unsafe
Franciscan Health filed documents asking a judge to lift a preliminary injunction for continued emergency room operations in Hammond, Ind., for nine months, calling compliance with the order “impossible,” The Times of Northwest Indiana reported Dec. 29.
