$187M Malpractice Award; Doc Died in Domestic Dispute? Former Ob/Gyn Gets 11 Years

A Philadelphia jury delivered a $187 million medical malpractice verdict against the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, the largest in the state’s history. The award goes to a child born in 2018 with severe brain injuries whose family alleged doctors delayed performing a C-section even though they knew the mother had an infection in her uterus. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

The car of slain Michigan neurosurgeon Devon Hoover, MD, was found abandoned on Detroit’s west side, away from his home. Hoover was found fatally shot and wrapped in a plastic sheet in the attic of his mansion on Sunday evening. No suspects have been arrested but authorities believe the killing may be tied to a domestic dispute. (New York Post)

Former UCLA gynecologist James Heaps, MD, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for sexually abusing female patients. UCLA has already paid some $700 million to settle claims of sexual misconduct against him. (AP)

Wisconsin nurse Ysurf Shariff is facing multiple charges for allegedly having inappropriate sexual contact with patients at a mental health hospital, including sexual assault of a child under the age of 16. (FOX 11)

A California man has been charged with impersonating a doctor. Prosecutors allege Stephan Gevorkian treated thousands of patients over years, including some with cancer. (NBC News)

Texas woman Catharina Hunter was sentenced to 8 years in prison for practicing medicine without a license. Prosecutors allege Hunter used the National Provider Identifier number of a pediatric surgeon in Chicago who has a similar name, and charged patients up to $20,000 for alternative medical treatments. (KSAT)

Former Washington state neurosurgeon Jason Dreyer, DO, will pay almost $1.2 million to settle charges that he performed unnecessary neurosurgery procedures while at Providence St. Mary’s Medical Center. Last year, Providence Health & Services Washington agreed to pay nearly $23 million to resolve claims that it fraudulently billed payers for unnecessary procedures performed by Dreyer and another neurosurgeon. (KEPR)

Five former employees of Methodist Hospital and a co-conspirator, Roderick Harvey, pleaded guilty to disclosing patient information in violation of HIPAA, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Prosecutors allege Harvey paid the five employees for names and phone numbers of patients involved in car crashes, then sold that information to third parties, including personal injury attorneys and chiropractors.

Georgia physician Audrey Arona, MD, pleaded guilty to charges related to improperly selling a sublingual weight-loss product called Releana that contained human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), according to the DOJ.

New Jersey doctor Muhammad Mirza, MD, admitted to participating in a scheme to defraud Amtrak, billing its healthcare plan for services that weren’t provided or were unnecessary, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. In 2021, Mirza’s license had been suspended over allegations of poorly performed procedures and patient harms.