LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION
Financial Legal News Articles & Interviews
Emergency Departments Still Overcharging Patients, Lawsuit Filed
August 18, 2022. By Jane Mundy.
Nashville, TN There was a flurry of reports and studies about five years ago that found routine price gouging in emergency rooms nationwide, and it was worse for the most vulnerable populations – poor and minority patients. It appears that, no matter how advanced medical technology gets, many emergency room patients are left in the dark, and left with an unexpectedly huge ER overcharges bill.
Read [ Emergency Departments Still Overcharging Patients, Lawsuit Filed ]
Former Head of Third-Party Billing Company on trial for Health Care Fraud
July 21, 2022. By Anne Wallace.
Islip, NY A number of elements go into the calculation of emergency room fees. Apart from the cost of providing care, hospitals must factor in reasonable expectations that some bills will go unpaid and that insurance companies will try to negotiate certain charges down – sometimes because of suspicions of healthcare fraud. The net effect, however, is that patients pay more.
Read [ Former Head of Third-Party Billing Company on trial for Health Care Fraud ]
Increased Emergency Room Charges Loom for Patients at Critical Access Hospitals
July 5, 2022. By Anne Wallace.
Clear Lake, CA On April 8, the DC Circuit Court, which has jurisdiction over Medicare cases, held that Medicare need not reimburse St. Helena Clear Lake Hospital for the cost of maintaining nonemergency room specialists on call. Without Medicare reimbursement, the cost of maintaining these doctors on call will ultimately be passed along to patients through higher emergency room charges.
Read [ Increased Emergency Room Charges Loom for Patients at Critical Access Hospitals ]
More Hospital Overcharges Lawsuits against TeamHealth “Cartel”
April 6, 2022. By Jane Mundy.
Baton Rouge, LA No sooner has TeamHealth settled a $15 million class action lawsuit brought by physicians than it’s slammed with another class action claiming inappropriate ER billing and systematic overcharges from its central billing office which is controlled in a “cartel-like manner”.
Read [ More Hospital Overcharges Lawsuits against TeamHealth “Cartel” ]
UnitedHealthcare Cites Upcoding Fraud in Lawsuit against Emergency Room Staffing Company
March 9, 2022. By Anne Wallace.
Knoxville, TN On October 27, 2021, UnitedHealthcare filed a lawsuit against TeamHealth Holdings in the Eastern District of Tennessee. UnitedHealthcare Services v. TeamHealth Holdings, the ER fees lawsuit, charges that TeamHealth routinely overcharged emergency room patients for minor medical needs. UHC, as the administrator for many of those claims, alleges that it overpaid by as much as $100 million. The company claims that TeamHealth’s tactics crossed the line from aggressive profit maximization to outright fraud.
Read [ UnitedHealthcare Cites Upcoding Fraud in Lawsuit against Emergency Room Staffing Company ]
The No Surprises Act Not Foolproof
February 23, 2022. By Jane Mundy.
Santa Clara, CA The No Surprises Act, that went into effect January 1, 2022 intends to provide protection against surprise medical bills such out-of-network bills for in-network hospitals and services such as an air ambulance ride (not ground ambulance) to an in-network hospital. But don’t be surprised if you get a surprise bill…
Read [ The No Surprises Act Not Foolproof ]
TeamHealth vs. United HealthCare Services
December 21, 2021. By Jane Mundy.
Knoxville, TN UnitedHealthcare claims that TeamHealth has submitted fraudulent claims to the insurer, to the tune of more than $100 million. The ER fees lawsuit claims that the emergency room staffing and billing company has been upcoding—using codes to deceive the insurer into overpaying—since 2016.
Read [ TeamHealth vs. United HealthCare Services ]
ER Charged $1,200 for Nosebleed
November 30, 2021. By Jane Mundy.
Kansas City, KS Tony woke up late Saturday night with a nosebleed and not knowing what to do, his son drove him to emergency room at St. Lukes South Hospital. When Tony got the bill in the mail he almost had a stroke--a doctor had simply inserted into his nose a cotton ball sprayed with decongestant, which took a few minutes, but he was billed $1,200. There had to be an error.
Read [ ER Charged $1,200 for Nosebleed ]
Physician Billed Exorbitant ER Overcharges
November 28, 2021. By Jane Mundy.
San Diego, CA “Not only are these inflated ER overcharges unethical – I don’t understand how medical professionals can charge exorbitant fees for such little work,” says Michael Cutler MD, an urgent care physician. “People were ordering tests before the doctor even came in the door.”
Read [ Physician Billed Exorbitant ER Overcharges ]
Patient is Charged ER Fees Without Being Seen
November 12, 2021. By Jane Mundy.
Atlanta, GA After waiting in the Emory Decatur Hospital ER for seven hours to treat a head injury, Taylor Davis couldn’t wait any longer and went home. She later received an emergency room bill for $688.35. Are you familiar with the old English proverb that “Children should be seen and not heard”? Here’s a new American phrase: “Patients are charged for not being seen.”
Read [ Patient is Charged ER Fees Without Being Seen ]
- Patients “Deceived” and “Scammed” by ER Fees By Jane Mundy (Aug-18-21)
- Emergency Room Overcharges Patient now Debt Collector Victim By Jane Mundy (Jul-16-21)
- Emergency Room Opportunity to Overcharge By Jane Mundy (May-21-21)
- Emergency Room Overcharges Complaints Outrageous but True By Jane Mundy (Apr-14-21)
- Credit Union of New Jersey Hit with Excessive Overdraft Fees Lawsuit By Anne Wallace (Apr-6-21)
- Emergency Room Overcharges Attorney Helps—if you are Committed By Jane Mundy (Apr-1-21)
- Insufficient Funds Charges Threaten Small-Balance Accountholders By Anne Wallace (Mar-31-21)
- Texas Sues Griddy Energy for Deceptive Advertising By Anne Wallace (Mar-12-21)
- Two Former Cardiologists Awarded $10.6 million for Reporting Patient Care Problems and Overcharging By Jane Mundy (Feb-28-21)
- Ninth Circuit Sends "High-Tech Debt Trap" Lawsuit to Arbitration By Anne Wallace (Feb-27-21)
- Bank Overdraft Fees Lawsuit Stresses Lack of Consumer Sophistication, Unfair Process By Anne Wallace (Jan-6-21)
- Mandatory Arbitration Amendments Thwart Excessive Overdraft Fee Lawsuits By Anne Wallace (May-22-20)
- JPMorgan Chase to Settle 401k Self-Dealing Lawsuit By Anne Wallace (Apr-22-20)
- Supreme Court Sends IBM Stock Drop ERISA Lawsuit Back to Second Circuit By Anne Wallace (Feb-11-20)
- U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Oral Arguments in ERISA Breach of Fiduciary Duty Lawsuit By Anne Wallace (Jan-10-20)
- Dignity Health ERISA Lawsuit Inches Toward $100 Million Settlement By Anne Wallace (Dec-10-19)
- Goldman Sachs 401k Plan Participants file ERISA Lawsuit over Self-Dealing By Anne Wallace (Nov-21-19)
- Philadelphia Federal Credit Union Accused of “Gouging” Consumers with Multiple NSF Fees By Anne Wallace (Nov-11-19)
- Did the Ninth Circuit Gut ERISA Enforcement in Schwab 401k Mismanagement Lawsuit? By Anne Wallace (Oct-21-19)
- United Federal Credit Union Settles Excessive Overdraft Fee Lawsuit for $1.75 Million By Anne Wallace (Oct-16-19)
- Safeway 401k Plan to Settle ERISA lawsuit for $8.5 Million By Anne Wallace (Oct-9-19)
- USAA Bank Forces Individual Arbitration of Excessive Overdraft Fee Claims By Anne Wallace (Sep-17-19)
- Fiduciaries’ Desperate Drive to Fund Benefits Backfires By Anne Wallace (Sep-11-19)
- ERISA Lawsuit Charges Plan with Mismanaging Both High and Low Yield Investment Choices By Anne Wallace (Aug-23-19)
- VyStar Credit Union Accused of Assessing NSF Fees Multiple Times for Same Transaction By Anne Wallace (Aug-8-19)
- Fidelity 401k Fiduciary Lawsuits Consolidated in Massachusetts By Anne Wallace (Aug-7-19)
- Dignity Health Poised to Settle ERISA Lawsuit for $100 Million By Anne Wallace (Jul-30-19)
- Georgia Court of Appeals Affirms Class Action Status for Excessive Overdraft Fees Lawsuit By Anne Wallace (Jun-7-19)
- Did Northrup Grumman Squander ERISA Pension Money? By Anne Wallace (Jun-5-19)
- Expert in ERISA Lawsuit Stumped by Basic Questions By Anne Wallace (May-17-19)
- President (of Yale) Can’t Dodge Deposition By Anne Wallace (May-9-19)
- Online Lender Settles with FTC for $3.85 Million By Anne Wallace (May-8-19)
- Latest ERISA Lawsuit News – 401k Mismanagement Lawsuits Going Strong, New Settlement in Treatment Denial Case By Anne Wallace (Apr-26-19)
- $24.5 Million Settlement in Navy Federal Credit Union Excessive Overdraft Fees Lawsuit By Anne Wallace (Apr-23-19)
- Sickening Stock Drop Prompts Boeing 737 ERISA Lawsuit By Anne Wallace (Apr-19-19)
- Johnson & Johnson Talc Tribulations Spark ERISA Lawsuit By Anne Wallace (Mar-28-19)
- ERISA Lawsuit Claims Fidelity Investments Took Secret Kickbacks By Anne Wallace (Mar-11-19)
- Patients Battle Surprise Emergency Room Charges By Anne Wallace (Feb-20-19)
- Washington State Employees Credit Union Settles Excessive Overdraft Fees Lawsuit for $2.99 Million By Anne Wallace (Feb-15-19)
- Dockworkers’ ERISA Lawsuit Challenges Denial of Preapproved Benefits By Anne Wallace (Feb-14-19)