A nursing home employee in Lock Haven, Pa., has been charged with conspiring with an unnamed physician in a long-running kickback scheme.

Becker's has reported on six physician practice closures since Nov. 7. 

A podiatrist and a patient recruiter were sentenced to prison and ordered to pay more than $7 million in restitution for their roles in a scheme to fraudulently bill TriCare for medically unnecessary compounded creams.

Here are four recent updates related to certificate-of-need issues in Alabama, North Carolina and Virginia, as reported by Becker's:

UnitedHealthcare's CEO, Brian Thompson, was fatally shot on the morning of Dec. 4 while exiting a hotel in New York City, according to the New York Police Department.

The strong majority of practicing physicians — 79% — have never undergone a peer review, according to Medscape's 2024 "Seeking Fairness and Real Guidance: Medscape Physicians and Peer Reviews Report 2024," published Dec. 4. 

Plaza College in New York City has opened a new $1 million certified surgical technologist medical simulation operation room, QNS reported Dec. 3.  

A Denver-based neuromonitoring company, its founder, a neurosurgeon, and a businessman have agreed to settlements totaling more than $2 million to resolve federal kickback allegations. 

A Florida physician assistant pleaded guilty to his role in a conspiracy to defraud Medicare of $7.3 million.

Atlanta-based American Health Imaging and its former founder and CEO, Scott Arant, have agreed to pay the U.S. and the state of Georgia $5,250,000 to resolve kickback and false claims allegations.

A team of surgeons at UC San Diego Health have become the first in the U.S. to use Distalmotion's Dexter surgical robot in the outpatient setting.

Significant change is underway in the orthopedic surgical space. Driven by advancements in technologies and techniques and a growing emphasis on cost efficiency and patient experience, procedures are increasingly being performed in ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) across the United States.

The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Legal Aid at Work is filing a complaint against the Outpatient Surgery Center of La Jolla (Calif.), an affiliate of SCA Health, for the alleged wrongful termination of registered nurse Lauren Gaw, RN. 

Edina, Minn.-based Silverman Ankle & Foot will close on March 2, 2025, after 20 years in operation, according to a notice on the practice’s website.

A Mattituck, N.Y.-based physician was charged for allegedly receiving kickbacks in exchange for medically unnecessary brain scans. 

Here are four hospitals and health systems that have announced layoffs in the last month, as reported by Beckers:

The Iowa Board of Medicine has refused to license a Missouri physician who is trying to practice medicine in the state for a third time, KCCI Des Moines reported Dec. 1. 

Four Florida individuals have been sentenced for their role in a $54.3 million health care fraud scheme in which they paid kickbacks and bribes to telemarketers and physicians to secure orders for medically unnecessary prescriptions. 

Becker's reported on 10 hospitals or health systems shuttering services in November, which could shift how ASCs in these markets operate. 

California physician Lilit Baltaian, MD, has pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud related to her false home health certifications and fraudulent billings.