Doc Accused of Sexually Exploiting Kids; More Women Accuse Ob/Gyn of Sex Assault

—
A weekly roundup of healthcare’s encounters with the courts

by
Kristina Fiore, Director of Enterprise & Investigative Reporting, MedPage Today
January 9, 2025

Florida physician Stephen Andrew Leedy, MD, has been accused of producing child sexual abuse materials and enticing minors to engage in sexual activity. Police said he instructed minors to cut, choke, and hang themselves. (WWSB)

More than 100 women have now accused California ob/gyn Barry Brock, MD, of sexual misconduct. (CBS News)

Parents are speaking out about their experiences at a Virginia hospital where neonatal intensive care unit nurse Erin Elizabeth Ann Strotman has been arrested for allegedly injuring infants. (CNN)

Army doctor Michael Stockin, MD, pleaded guilty in military court to sexually assaulting dozens of his patients. If the plea is accepted, he faces up to 13.5 years in prison. (New York Times)

New Jersey’s medical board permanently revoked the license of rheumatologist Harsha Sahni, MD, who is facing 27 months in federal prison for harboring two women from India to be household servants, according to the state’s attorney general.

The Texas Medical Board has suspended the license of Nathan Robert Starke, MD, after he was accused of being impaired during several surgeries. (ABC 13)

Virginia otolaryngologist Scott Saffold, MD, will pay $625,000 to settle allegations that he billed government health insurers for medically unnecessary balloon sinus dilations, according to federal prosecutors.

Washington state-based Athira Pharma will pay $4 million to resolve claims that it failed to report to the NIH allegations that its former CEO manipulated scientific images in published research papers referenced in several grant applications submitted to the agency, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.

A telehealth company will pay $386,000 to settle allegations that it billed for psychotherapy sessions that didn’t meet the minimum time requirements and relied on false time records, federal prosecutors said.

Indiana health system Community Health Network paid almost $146 million to settle whistleblower accusations that it paid illegal kickbacks to doctors for patient referrals. (Becker’s Hospital Review)

Three doctors, along with other parties, will pay $1.1 million to resolve claims that they took kickbacks in exchange for referring to certain laboratories, the DOJ said.

A Massachusetts court ordered three insurers to pay more than $165 million for reportedly misleading thousands of consumers into buying supplemental health insurance that they didn’t need. (Becker’s Payer Issues)