
A Judge Approved BCBS’ $2.8B Settlement. Why Some Providers Are Opting Out
A judge has approved Blue Cross Blue Shield's $2.8 billion settlement with providers. However, some providers are opting out, arguing that it doesn't go far enough.
A judge has approved Blue Cross Blue Shield's $2.8 billion settlement with providers. However, some providers are opting out, arguing that it doesn't go far enough.
Walgreens has agreed to pay Humana $360 million to settle a drug pricing dispute that has spanned nearly five years. The payout is roughly half of what Walgreens was originally ordered to pay when the issue was first resolved last year.
Cigna recently agreed to pay $172 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act. One expert said this is just a small part of the problem, while another called for more clarity from the government.
Generic drugmakers Teva and Glenmark recently became the sixth and seventh drugmakers to resolve criminal charges as a result of the DOJ’s yearslong investigation into generic drug price fixing. The settlement agreement requires both companies to pay hefty fines as well as divest their drug lines for pravastatin, a widely used statin that lowers cholesterol.
Santa Clara Valley Healthcare in California has begun notifying 43,000 patients about their eligibility for billing corrections and refunds. The system’s patient outreach effort is a result of a recently settled lawsuit filed against Santa Clara County. In the complaint, former patients alleged the county did not inform them about its hospitals' charity care and discount payment policies, leading them to have to pay large bills.
The California-based health system will pay a hefty price to resolve allegations that it knowingly submitted inflated diagnosis codes for certain Medicare Advantage beneficiaries to receive higher payments. Sutter Health does not admit any liability in the matter.
UnitedHealthcare and United Behavioral Health agreed to the settlement to resolve allegations that they illegally denied coverage for mental health and substance use disorder treatments. The allegations are related to business practices they no longer use, parent company UnitedHealth Group said.
The California-based health system agreed to settle two lawsuits alleging unfair practices that resulted in Black and Hispanic workers being paid less and receiving fewer promotions than their white counterparts. In total, Kaiser Permanente agreed to pay $18.9 million as part of the settlements.
A district judge granted preliminary approval to a settlement for a class action suit brought against HIMSS by exhibitors for its conference last year. Per the settlement, HIMSS will create a $2.8 million fund to pay back exhibitors and will credit a portion of the funds they paid to future conferences.
The vendor has agreed to pay nearly $18.3 million to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by offering illegal kickbacks to boost EHR sales. The company denies any wrongdoing and said it agreed to settle to "put the matter behind us."
Video conferencing company Zoom reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over claims that the company used end-to-end encryption in its video calls, when it reportedly used a lower level of security.
The U.S. Department of Justice was investigating Practice Fusion over allegations it violated HIPAA and anti-kickback laws and wrongfully obtained certification for its software from the HHS.
Alongside the payment, which resolves the civil aspect of the probe from the DOJ and a number of states that UHS incorrectly billed Medicare and Medicaid programs, the government has dropped the criminal investigation against the company.
The DOJ claims that IBM subsidiary Cúram Software misrepresented its ability to meet specified technical requirements in its contract to develop Maryland's health insurance exchange website and IT platform.