In the last six months, health systems and the U.S. Justice Department have filed antitrust lawsuits and launched investigations, alleging monopolies against insurance providers, anesthesia providers and more. 

Hospitals are continuing to face financial hardships, and some are resorting to closing clinics or shuttering outpatient services. 

Here are five physicians who have been arrested or charged with crimes, pleaded guilty or been sentenced recently, as reported by Becker's since Feb. 23:

A former physician in California was sentenced to 37 months in prison for illegally dispensing prescriptions for controlled substances during telemedicine sessions. 

Durham, N.C.-based Duke University ASCs will lift patient visitation restrictions effective March 5, according to a March 4 report from WRAL News.

The federal government continues to stress that improper financial arrangements between hospitals and physicians can "compromise medical judgment and threaten the integrity of federal healthcare programs," according to a new report from law firm Bass, Berry and Sims. 

The Center for Modern Surgery in Secaucus, N.J., has been fined $76,500 by the state Department of Health for more than a dozen safety violations, according to a March 4 report from NJ.com. 

Congress released a $460 billion spending package that would halve 2024's 3.4% Medicare pay cut for physicians to approximately 1.7%. 

A Florida man pleaded guilty for his role in a scheme that defrauded Medicare and other benefit programs of at least $3.6 million.

For-profit ethical standards company the Ethisphere Institute has named the "world's most ethical companies" of 2024, adding four major health systems to the list. 

A physician has pleaded guilty to accepting kickbacks through a fraudulent telemarketing and medical supply scheme throughout Washington. 

Here are three recent noncompete moves that Becker's has reported on since Feb. 20:

Here are four fraud cases involving physicians that Becker's has reported on since Feb. 12:

Members of the New Jersey Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to lobby for the benefits ASCs provide in increasing access to quality, affordable healthcare.

Residents of Huntington, W.Va., have the worst physical and emotional well-being of any city in the U.S., according to a Feb. 27 report by personal finance website WalletHub.

Here are four drug-related legal battles involving physicians that Becker's has reported on since Feb. 6:

The U.S. Justice Department recovered approximately $2.69 billion in False Claims Act cases in 2023, the majority of which were related to healthcare fraud, according to a new report from law firm Bass, Berry and Sims. 

A new report has revealed the 10 highest paid private college presidents, with one medical school leader topping the list, according to a Feb. 15 report from The Chronicle of Higher Education.

A physician from Celina, Texas, and eight others have been indicted for illegally dispensing controlled substances. 

Outpatient revenue for hospitals and health systems jumped 10.6% year over year in January, as hospitals continue to see more complex procedures become safe in the outpatient setting, according to Syntellis.