Category: Legal & Regulatory Issues

A former lead emergency room nurse at Portland, Ore.-based Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center filed a whistleblower lawsuit Jan. 8, accusing the hospital of firing him after repeatedly raising concerns about workplace safety. 

The former president and CEO of Whittier, Calif-based Santa Maria’s Children and Family Center was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for submitting fraudulent claims to the state’s Medicaid program.

Hollywood, Fla.-based Memorial Healthcare System has placed an employee on unpaid administrative leave and launched an internal investigation after learning of allegations against the employee from the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.

An attorney who worked as a vice president and COO of an Illinois hospital pleaded guilty Jan. 22 to a federal fraud charge. 

Even 28 years after President Bill Clinton signed HIPAA into law, many of its rules have remained difficult for HIPAA-regulated entities, according to a Jan. 22 HIPAA Journal report.

The Florida Senate approved an $800 million legislative package meant to strengthen the state’s healthcare workforce and advance access to care.

A trial has begun in a class-action lawsuit against Seattle Children’s hospital from families who claim mold in the hospital made 14 young people sick and resulted in the death of seven patients, KING5 reported Jan. 22. 

McAlester (Okla.) Regional Medical Center is facing criticism for its debt collection practices, KFF Health News reported Jan. 19.

HHS has determined that OU Health providers did not violate the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act when they denied an abortion to a woman with a nonviable pregnancy in early 2023, according to information obtained by the Associated Press. 

A former employee has filed a lawsuit against Pittsburgh-based UPMC, accusing the health system of anticompetitive conduct that harms skilled nursing staff, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Jan. 19.