doctors News

Health Workers Once Saluted as Heroes Now Get Threats

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — More than a year after U.S. health care workers on the front lines against COVID-19 were saluted as heroes with nightly clapping from windows and balconies, some are being issued panic buttons in case of assault …

Doctors Who Say No to Opioid Use Face Threats From Patients

One patient threatened to shoot Dr. Terry Hunt if physical therapy didn’t relieve his pain as effectively as opioids did. Another harassed his staff, then roamed a hospital searching for Hunt after being told he would be weaned off painkillers …

Swiss Drugmaker Novartis Must Face Doctor Kickback Suit

NEW YORK — Novartis AG must face a U.S. government lawsuit accusing it of paying millions of dollars in kickbacks to doctors so they would prescribe its drugs, after a federal judge ruled in a decision released on Monday that …

All Hospitals Should Require Drug, Alcohol Tests for Physicians

To improve patient safety, hospitals should randomly test physicians for drug and alcohol use in much the same way other major industries in the United States do to protect their customers. The recommendation comes from two Johns Hopkins physicians and …

Oregon Doctors, Lawyers Support Medical Errors Bill

Usually staunch adversaries, doctors and trial lawyers have both gotten behind an Oregon bill creating a new mediation process for patients injured by medical mistakes. Gov. John Kitzhaber, a doctor, called their agreement “the holy grail of medical and legal …

Arizona Bill Would Prevent ‘Wrongful Birth’ Lawsuits

An Arizona legislator wants to shield doctors from so-called “wrongful birth” lawsuits, which can arise if physicians don’t inform pregnant women of prenatal problems that could lead to the decision to have an abortion. Republican state Sen. Nancy Barto, who …

UK Doctors Call for Ban on Smoking in Cars

The British Medical Association is calling on the government to ban smoking at all times in cars, a step that would go beyond regulations elsewhere. In research released on Wednesday, the group that represents U.K. doctors said the confined environment …

Allstate Files $4.5 Million Insurance Fraud Claim

Seeking to recover $4.5 million from medical providers in a scheme to allegedly bill insurance companies for procedures that were medically unnecessary and/or inappropriate, Allstate Insurance Company, filed counterclaims and complaints against the perpetrators. Allstate filed counterclaims and a third …

Pair of Doctors Plead Guilty to Work Comp Fraud in Ohio

A pair of Illinois brothers who traveled to Columbus, Ohio, to practice psychiatry were sentenced for workers’ compensation fraud after an investigation showed they were conducting inadequate examinations of injured workers and submitting false bills to the Ohio Bureau of …