Policy & Compliance
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November 19, 2025
Conn. Dentists Pay $714K To Settle Patient Kickback Claims
Two Connecticut dentists will pay more than $714,000 to the state and federal governments to settle joint allegations that their practices submitted false government benefits claims that contained kickbacks for patient recruiters.
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November 19, 2025
Pa. Health Network's $1.15M 401(k) Suit Deal Gets Initial OK
A healthcare system Wednesday secured initial approval from a Pennsylvania federal court for a $1.15 million settlement agreement that would resolve a proposed class action alleging the company misused forfeited retirement plan funds and allowed the plan's administrative costs to soar.
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November 19, 2025
Whoop Blood Pressure Tracker Hit With False Ad Suit
A consumer on Tuesday hit health and wellness wearable tech company Whoop Inc. with a proposed class action in California federal court alleging that its boasting of the blood pressure features of its fitness tracker duped consumers and prompted a warning from health regulators.
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November 19, 2025
Hospice Co. Should Face Tobacco Fee Suit, Judge Says
A hospice and home healthcare provider shouldn't escape a proposed class action challenging a tobacco surcharge in its employee health plan, a Pennsylvania federal judge recommended, finding that allegations sufficiently backed up that a wellness program implementing the fee didn't meet all regulatory requirements.
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November 19, 2025
Doctor, Husband Admit $16M Healthcare Fraud, Tax Evasion
A physician and her husband admitted to committing more than $16 million in healthcare fraud and tax evasion as part of a scheme that injected sick patients with the wrong medications or dosages, according to their plea agreements in Alaska federal court.
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November 19, 2025
COVID-19 Testing Co. Settles Wage Suit With Testers, Drivers
A COVID-19 mobile testing company told a New York federal court that it has reached a settlement with a group of testers and drivers who claimed they were not paid full wages and overtime.
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November 19, 2025
Doc Takes Plea, Avoids Prison In Novel Opioid Death Case
A retired Massachusetts doctor pled guilty and was sentenced to five years of probation in a first-of-its-kind involuntary manslaughter case over a patient's 2016 opioid overdose death, the state attorney general's office announced.
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November 18, 2025
Health Co. Execs Convicted In $100M Adderall Sales Scheme
A San Francisco federal jury weighing a first-of-its-kind case on Tuesday convicted two digital healthcare company executives of scheming to sell Adderall through deceptive advertising, allegedly bringing in $100 million in illicit profits.
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November 18, 2025
'Surrender' Note Warrants Med Mal Retrial, Ill. Justices Hear
A below-the-knee amputee who lost his medical malpractice trial urged the Illinois Supreme Court to order a retrial in his case Tuesday, arguing a note stating a juror sided with the defense simply to end deliberations proves the verdict was not unanimous.
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November 18, 2025
Severe SC Abortion Bill Falters in Committee
A South Carolina bill that would have further criminalized abortion and subjected patients and doctors to up to 30 years in prison failed to advance out of a Senate committee on Tuesday, with antiabortion committee members raising concerns that the bill went too far.
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November 18, 2025
Feds Say Hi-Tech 'Trampled' Trust At Close Of Fraud Trial
Federal prosecutors closed out a nearly monthlong fraud trial against Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals and its longtime CEO by telling a Georgia jury Tuesday that they "proudly" stood by what defense attorneys for the supplement manufacturer and distributor previously derided as a "paper case."
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November 18, 2025
Bristol-Myers Squibb Can Appeal Pension Suit To 2nd Circ.
Drugmaker Bristol-Myers Squibb and its investment manager can ask the Second Circuit to review a decision from September denying their motion to dismiss a pension dispute for lack of standing, a New York federal judge ruled.
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November 18, 2025
1st Circ. May Nix Trump Funding Freeze In 'Weird' Case
The First Circuit on Tuesday hinted that a federal judge may have been in bounds when blocking the Trump administration from withholding certain funds for states, expressing skepticism that the judge's order was improper or overly broad.
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November 18, 2025
Mass. Health Co. Settles 401(k) Suit Over Pricey Fees, Funds
A Cambridge hospital system agreed to settle a proposed class action claiming it mismanaged its $280 million retirement plan and cost workers millions in savings by failing to reduce management fees and trim costly funds from the plan, according to a Massachusetts federal court filing.
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November 18, 2025
Eye Doc's Hospital Competition Lawsuit Gets NC Panel Trial
Five years after being denied “certificate of need” application for an eye surgery center, a North Carolina doctor was in court Tuesday challenging a state law that has been on the books in some form since the Carter administration.
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November 18, 2025
Feds Look To 'False Certification' FCA Strategy
Prosecutors shifted strategy in a kickback case against a biotech giant. FCA attorneys are closely watching the Regeneron case for clues on how the DOJ will establish causation in a growing number of states implicated by recent circuit court rulings.
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November 18, 2025
McGuireWoods Is Delaying Defamation Case, NC Justices Told
The former CEO of a managed care organization who alleges McGuireWoods and one of its ex-partners defamed him during a press conference more than seven years ago has told North Carolina's top court not to take up the case, panning their petition as yet another stalling tactic.
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November 18, 2025
Massage Therapist Prevails In Fla. Health Dept. License Saga
Florida health officials' yearslong effort to revoke a massage therapist's license resulted in a notable appeals court decision that found a licensing board wrongly disregarded an administrative law judge's findings.
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November 17, 2025
DC Circ. Mulls If Gov't Can Say No To 340B Rebate Program
The D.C. Circuit is set to decide "who's the decision-maker" in a fight brought by drugmakers over the federal government's efforts to reshape the way they do drug rebates after spending more than an hour and a half Monday morning hearing out all sides.
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November 17, 2025
2 Execs Found Guilty In $233M ACA Fraud Scheme
A Florida federal jury returned a guilty verdict on Monday against a marketing company CEO and insurance brokerage executive who were accused of submitting fraudulent enrollments to fully subsidized Affordable Care Act insurance plans to get millions in commission payments from insurers.
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November 17, 2025
B. Braun Unit Inks $38.5M Deal To End FCA Knee Implant Case
The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday announced a $38.5 million False Claims Act settlement with a subsidiary of German medical device giant B. Braun Melsungen AG resolving accusations it sold a knee replacement implant allegedly known to fail prematurely after surgery.
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November 17, 2025
2nd Circ. Questions Experts' Rejection In Tylenol Autism Suits
A Second Circuit panel on Monday appeared skeptical of a lower-court order that barred every expert witness set to testify for families who allege that patients taking Tylenol while pregnant can cause autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in their children.
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November 17, 2025
Hospital Inks $335K Deal To End EEOC Gender Bias Suit
A Kentucky federal judge signed off Monday on a $335,000 settlement to end a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming a hospital system fired its chief nursing officer after she complained that she lost a promotion due to her gender.
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November 17, 2025
Mass. Justices Say Panel Overstepped In Sepsis Death Suit
Massachusetts' highest court on Monday reinstated medical malpractice claims against a nurse practitioner over a patient's sepsis death, saying a tribunal had stepped beyond its role in vetting an offer of proof by the man's widow.
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November 17, 2025
9th Circ. Strikes Down Trans Patients' Win In ACA Bias Case
The Ninth Circuit upended a win Monday for patients who challenged Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois' administration of their employer-provided health plans containing gender-affirming care exclusions, ordering a lower court to reexamine the case in light of intervening authority from the U.S. Supreme Court.
Expert Analysis
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What Trump's Order Means For The Legal Status Of IVF
An executive order signed by President Donald Trump last month signals the administration's potential intention to increase protections for in vitro fertilization services, though more concrete actions would be needed to resolve the current uncertainty around IVF access or bring about a binding legal change, says Jeanne Vance at Weintraub Tobin.
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Mitigating Tariff Risks For Healthcare In US And Canada
Healthcare stakeholders should take steps to evaluate the impact of cross-border tariffs, as the historically strong ties between Canada and the U.S. demonstrate the potential for real disruption and harm to the healthcare industry in both countries, say attorneys at Norton Rose.
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What's At Stake In High Court Transgender Care Suit
The outcome of U.S. v. Skrmetti will have critical implications for the rights of transgender youth and their access to gender-affirming care, and will likely affect other areas of law and policy involving transgender individuals, including education, employment, healthcare and civil rights, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
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6 Laws Transforming Calif.'s Health Regulatory Framework
Attorneys at Hooper Lundy discuss a number of new California laws that raise pressing issues for independent physicians and small practice groups, ranging from the use of artificial intelligence to wage standards for healthcare employees.
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Anticipating Calif. Oversight Of PE Participation In Healthcare
A new bill recently introduced in the California Senate revives last year's attempt to increase oversight of healthcare transactions involving private equity groups and hedge funds, meaning that attorneys may soon need to assess the compliance status of existing management relationships and consider modifying contract terms, says Andrew Demetriou at Husch Blackwell.
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Considering The Future Of AI Regulation On Health Sector
As Texas looks to become the next state to pass a comprehensive law regulating artificial intelligence, the healthcare industry should consider how AI regulation will continue to evolve in the U.S. and how industry members can keep up with compliance considerations, say attorneys at Kirkland & Ellis.
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What To Expect From 'Make America Healthy Again' Actions
The Make America Healthy Again Commission recently established by President Donald Trump and chaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will potentially bring energy and attention to important public health topics, and stakeholders should be aware of pathways for sharing their input and proactively informing proceedings, says Nicholas Manetto at Faegre Drinker.
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How Citizen Petitions Have Affected Drug Competition
In light of recent citizen petitions and proposed legislation regulating such petitions, Omar Robles at Managing Health analyzes the statistics of the extent to which citizen petitions have been filed, and to what extent they have delayed competition in prescription pharmaceuticals.
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Drug Kickback Ruling Will Make FCA Liability Harder To Prove
The First Circuit's ruling in U.S. v. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, requiring the government to prove but-for causation to establish False Claims Act liability based on violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute, raises the bar for FCA enforcement and deepens a circuit split that the U.S. Supreme Court may need to resolve, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.
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Assessing PE Risk After Mass. False Claims Act Amendments
A law recently passed in Massachusetts amends the commonwealth's False Claims Act by dramatically expanding potential liability for private equity firms and investors, underscoring the importance of robust diligence and risk assessments for private equity firms conducting transactions in the commonwealth, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
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What Trump Actions Mean For Federal Research Funding
New guidance from the National Institutes of Health represents a massive policy shift regarding federal funding for researchers at institutions of higher education, contributing to a perfect storm of significant resource shortfalls in upcoming years, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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A Look At Healthcare Transaction Oversight In Oregon
Understanding Oregon's enforcement authority and its impact on proposed transactions last year provides a road map to the state's plans to strengthen its processes this year, though enforcement could be challenged by ongoing litigation, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises
“No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.