German authorities have published a list of security requirements for telecoms networks amid concerns about the possible involvement of companies such as China’s Huawei in future 5G infrastructure. Authorities published a list of requirements Thursday that says “systems may only be sourced from trustworthy suppliers whose compliance with national security regulations and provisions for the…
Report: Pentagon Weapons Systems Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks
Defense Department weapons programs are vulnerable to cyberattacks, and the Pentagon has been slow to protect the systems which are increasingly reliant on computer networks and software, a federal report said Tuesday. The U.S. Government Accountability Office said the Pentagon has worked to ensure its networks are secure, but only recently began to focus more…
Houston Hospital Loses Heart Transplant Medicaid Funding
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has stopped funding a Houston hospital’s renowned heart transplant program amid scrutiny over patient deaths. Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center lost the federal funding Friday under a decision announced in June, the Houston Chronicle reported. The federal health agency announced the decision after finding that the hospital hadn’t…
FCC Chair: White House Called about Sinclair-Tribune Deal
The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, an independent agency, said Thursday that a White House official called to talk about a proposed merger between Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. and Tribune Media Co. Ajit Pai told a Senate panel that Don McGahn, the White House counsel, called for a “status update” on the agency’s action…
Medical Device Maker Settles Suit Over Psychologist’s Death
A medical device maker has settled a lawsuit over the death of a prominent Yale University psychologist who died in 2013 when a machine part detached and caused her blood to be pumped onto a hospital room floor. Germany-based Maquet Cardiopulmonary and its U.S. sales division based in Wayne, New Jersey, settled the lawsuit in…
Physician Convicted Of Improper Prescribing Gets 4 Years
A Kentucky doctor convicted of illegally prescribing opioids to patients who died of overdoses has been sentenced to four years and two months in prison. The Lexington Herald-Leader reported Saturday that 69-year-old Roy D. Reynolds also was ordered last week to pay $25,000 in fines. U.S. Attorney Russell M. Coleman says in a release that Reynolds “became…
Lawsuit Says Woman Had C-Section Without Anesthesia
A woman suing a Southern California hospital says she underwent a cesarean section without anesthesia. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune , the lawsuit filed last month claims an anesthesiologist didn’t immediately answer pages at Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside last November, so the emergency operation was performed without him. The lawsuit says Delfina Mota was more…
Hospital System Pays $65 Million To Settle Medicare Billing Claims
Prime Healthcare Services, one of the nation’s largest hospital systems, agreed Friday to pay $65 million to settle allegations of Medicare overbilling in California. The company and CEO Prem Reddy agreed to settle a whistleblower lawsuit alleging that 14 of its hospitals unnecessarily admitted patients and also “upcoded” patient diagnoses, exaggerating their illnesses in order…
House Votes To Repeal Obama-Era Tax On Some Medical Devices
The House has voted to repeal a tax on some medical devices that has helped finance President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. Revoking the 2.3 percent tax has been a longtime goal for Republicans and some Democrats from states that are home to device manufacturers. Tuesday’s vote was 283-132. Repeal proponents say the levy kills…
Massachusetts Senate Approves Bill to Boost “Net Neutrality”
The Massachusetts Senate has approved a bill designed to help ensure the internet remains a level playing field, even after U.S. regulators rolled back federal “net neutrality” rules. The Senate bill would create a state preference for internet providers that adhere to net neutrality standards. The bill approved Thursday would also create an “internet service…
Medical Device Company Settles U.S. Case Over False Claims
A New York-based medical device company will pay the U.S. government $12.5 million to resolve allegations that it had health care providers submit false claims to federal programs. The Department of Justice said Wednesday that suburban Albany-based AngioDynamics will pay $11.5 million to resolve allegations related to an unapproved drug delivery device. The company will…
U.S. Judge Throws Out Suit Over Health Subsidy Cuts
A U.S. judge in San Francisco has thrown out a lawsuit over the Trump administration’s decision to cut Affordable Care Act subsidies. The ruling by Judge Vince Chhabria on Wednesday came after California and other states that sued said a workaround was largely succeeding in protecting consumers from higher costs.
Nearly $4.7 Billion Awarded In Baby Powder Lawsuit
A St. Louis jury on Thursday awarded nearly $4.7 billion in total damages to 22 women and their families after they claimed asbestos in Johnson & Johnson talcum powder contributed to their ovarian cancer in the first case against the company that focused on asbestos in the powder. The jury announced the $4.14 billion award…
Trump Administration Slashes ACA Sign-Up Assistance
For the second time in days, the Trump administration is taking action to undercut the Obama-era Affordable Care Act. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Tuesday announced steep funding cuts for sign-up assistance through state-based programs called “navigators.” Financing for the 2019 enrollment season is being cut to $10 million from $36 million.…
L.A. Hospital To Pay $550,000 In Homeless Patient Dumping Case
A Los Angeles hospital suspected of discharging hundreds of homeless patients and dumping them at bus and train stations instead of shelters or other facilities agreed to pay a $550,000 legal settlement, prosecutors announced Monday. Silver Lake Medical Center, which operates a 118-bed psychiatric facility, agreed to stop the practice and put policies in place…
Houston Heart Transplant Hospital Could Lose Medicaid Funds
A Houston hospital that suspended its renowned heart transplant program for two weeks amid scrutiny following the deaths of two patients could lose federal Medicaid funding. Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center was notified Friday that Medicare plans to halt funding to its heart transplant program on August 17, the Houston Chronicle reports . Federal officials, raising concerns about…
Jury Sides With 3M In Trial Over Patient-Warming Device
Federal jurors have sided with 3M Co. in a lawsuit brought by a South Carolina man who contended a surgical infection he suffered was caused by the Minnesota company’s patient-warming device. The jury in Minneapolis decided Wednesday that 76-year-old Louis Gareis had not shown that 3M’s Bair Hugger device caused his problem during hip-replacement surgery…
Nurse Who Sued Hospital For Retaliation Awarded $28 Million
A jury has ruled that a Boston hospital retaliated against a Haitian-American nurse who stood up for a black colleague and has awarded her $28 million. Gessy Toussaint’s attorney described Wednesday’s verdict against Brigham and Women’s Hospital as “monumental.” The Boston Globe reports that Toussaint also had accused the hospital of racial discrimination, but the jury…
Texas Court Ruling In Hospital Billing Case Sparks Healthcare Industry Concern
Some health care officials worry a recent Texas Supreme Court ruling may have broader implications on how hospitals and health insurers negotiate billing rates. The state’s high court voted last week in favor of Crystal Roberts, an uninsured woman who was billed more than $11,000 for an emergency room visit in 2015, the…
Mississippi Supreme Court Orders Medicaid To Pay $2 Million To 12 Hospitals
The Mississippi Supreme Court is ordering the state’s Medicaid program to pay back $2 million to 12 hospitals, saying the agency improperly skimped on reimbursement for services. The Thursday decision upholds a suit the hospitals filed saying the state-federal health insurance program had illegally changed its payment formula for radiology and laboratory services.
Nurse Fired, Arrested After Patient Dies At Texas Hospital
A former nurse has been arrested on a murder charge after a patient died and two others slipped into vegetative states at a Texas hospital, according to state and county records. The Texas Board of Nursing suspended William George Davis’ license in March. In a detention order, the board determined he entered three patients’ rooms…
Maryland Legislature: Organ Donors Deserve Tax Breaks
Maryland’s General Assembly has passed a bill that would give a tax break to people who donate all or a portion of an organ to another person. The bill would let liver, kidney, intestine, pancreas, lung or bone marrow donors subtracts up to $7,500 in income on state tax returns to offset donation expenses.
Baltimore Hospital Cited Over Woman Left In Cold In Hospital Gown
Federal regulators have cited a Baltimore hospital in connection with a January incident in which a mentally ill woman was discharged and left at an open-air bus stop wearing only a flimsy gown and socks. The Baltimore Sun reports that a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services investigation found the University of Maryland Medical Center violated patient…
Family Files Lawsuit Over Lost Embryos At Ohio Hospital
An Ohio hospital where as many as 2,000 frozen eggs and embryos were damaged by a storage tank malfunction is being sued by a couple who lost two embryos. The lawsuit was filed Sunday on behalf of Amber and Elliott Ash. Lawyers are seeking class action status, which would require approval from a judge. The…
Appeals Court Says FTC Can Police Telecommunications Cos.
A U.S. appeals court says the Federal Trade Commission can police telecommunications companies like AT&T — a ruling that’s important because another agency is dropping its oversight with repeal of “net neutrality” rules governing customer access to apps and websites. The case is over claims that AT&T misled smartphone customers in offering unlimited data plans,…