lawsuits
VA understates care wait times
Despite claims to the contrary, veterans have often been forced to wait 30 days or more for care at VA hospitals, and many more may not be on its electronic waiting lists, according to a recently... Read more...
Duke hoping to avoid lawsuit rush
A new study suggests that while patients aren't suffering noticeable after-effects, many continue to believe their health problems were caused by a series of incidents at Duke University hospitals... Read more...
ALSO NOTED: Omnicare sues insurers, PBMs for $61M; Hospitals enact smoking ban; and much more...
> Nursing home drug and services supplier Omnicare has filed lawsuits against 16 health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers. Omnicare's goal is to collect $61 million it says it is owed. Article
> Like peers elsewhere, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's 17 hospitals have gone smoke-free both inside and outside of the facilities. …
... Read more...SPOTLIGHT: California health plans taking a beating
This isn't an easy time to be a California-based health plan. In recent times, the plans have been under heavy fire from state regulators, who have imposed large fines and launched ongoing investigations into potential violations of state law. The health plans are also taking a beating from the media and facing a raft of lawsuits. What's more, this is only the beginning. As the state inches toward healthcare reform, insurers should continue to be in the spotlight, according to one analysis. Article
SPOTLIGHT: A good year for whistleblowers
It looks like 2005 was a bad year for healthcare fraudsters, but a good year for those willing to expose them. According to a report by DHHS, the Federal government took in approximately $1.47 billion in judgments and settlements in health care fraud cases during 2005. The whistleblowers who helped the feds find these scammers, filing qui tam lawsuits on behalf of the government under the False Claims Act, did pretty well, too, splitting nearly $137 million in awards--far more than in …
... Read more...Blue Cross makes changes in face of lawsuits
Blue Cross of California said that it will revise some of its practices when it comes to canceling individual insurance policies. The insurer has recently faced several lawsuits for retroactively canceling customers' coverage after a policyholder required high-cost medical care. Blue Cross will change the patient appeals process for when they are denied a claim and will also create an ombudsman. But critics say that that the new measures don't address the fact that the insurer is …
... Read more...BCBS of Ga. and Piedmont finally come to terms
After a stressful seven-month battle that included bitter public statements and a couple of lawsuits, plus a month-long contract gap that left patients scrambling for providers, Piedmont Healthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia have finally come to a new three-year agreement. Specific details are confidential. In a joint press release, both parties magnanimously invite those enrollees who …
... Read more...Recycling medical devices raises concerns
Reusable medical devices were largely displaced by disposables when advances in plastic technology met the age of AIDS. But now, hospitals are re-using single-use items multiple times, aided by industrial reprocessing companies. The practice slashes supply costs. Usually the devices work fine, but sometimes they don't, with disastrous results. This story in The New York Times describes a heartbreaking case where a breathing tube tip damaged by reprocessing has permanently …
... Read more...Brockovich to sue "thousands" of hospitals
The group of law firms led by celebrity activist Erin Brockovich filed more lawsuits charging hospitals with improperly billing Medicare in cases where preventable medical errors are involved. And said it plans to file suit against "thousands" more. The latest to come under the legal gun: HCA, Universal Health Services, Providence and Triad.
- see this article from the Arkansas Post …
... Read more...Lawsuits target Kaiser transplant program
"My biggest fear is when a kidney comes up, they're going to say, 'Your condition is so deteriorated, we're not going to give you one,'" says a patient at Kaiser's transplant program. Three patients and their families filed lawsuits against the HMO Thursday alleging that problems at its San Francisco transplant center caused them serious harm. One of the patients, Ronald Hayes, died while awaiting a transplant. On Wednesday the health plan said it would pay for patients to have operations …
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