Seven major Stark Law indictments contributed to a record-breaking year for whistleblower qui tam lawsuits in 2024, according to a Jan. 15 Justice Department report. 

More than 15,000 physicians have signed a letter pushing senators to vote against the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's nomination for secretary of HHS. 

Physician-assisted suicide has appeared in headlines in recent months as some states seek to expand access to the practice. 

A physician in Indianapolis is suing the Indiana Department of Health and members of the state medical licensing board in federal court over enforcement of a state law regarding reporting requirements for physicians that perform abortions, the Daily Journal reported Dec. 31. Her lawsuit alleges that the requirement conflicts with new federal health privacy requirements that prohibit such disclosures. 

Physicians faced numerous challenges in 2024, from increased legal pitfalls in some areas of care to deteriorating physician autonomy. 

Congress has signed a downsized funding bill to avoid a government shutdown, which did not include a bipartisan package that would have offset CMS' 2.85% cut to physician payments in 2025. 

2024 has become a more legally treacherous year for physicians and it's affecting the way they practice medicine. 

President Joe Biden recently commuted the prison sentence of Shelinder Aggarwal, who was allegedly the most prolific Medicare prescriber of opioids in the U.S., WAFF reported Dec. 17. 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against a physician in New York for prescribing abortion medication to a Texas resident through telemedicine services. 

The most important thing for female physicians in the workplace is a commitment to work-life balance for physicians and staff, according to Medscape's 2024 "Fighting Glass Ceilings: Medscape Female Physician Career Tracks Report," published Dec. 11. 

CMS has issued updated guidance for surveyors and healthcare providers on addressing immediate jeopardy, the most severe type of noncompliance warning as the findings can place organizations at risk of losing federal funding.

The Arkansas State Medical Board voted to delay action in the case of a physician seeking to return to practice after being accused of rape and sexual assault until after his charges are heard in court, effectively denying his request, the Arkansas Advocate reported Dec. 5.

Rising labor expenses and shrinking reimbursements are putting significant pressure on hospitals’ financial health, according to Kaufman Hall's National Hospital Flash Report. 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott threatened Houston-based Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine's Medicare and Medicaid funding in a Nov. 24 post to social media platform X, the San Antonio Current reported Nov. 27. 

The Indiana Attorney General's office will drop its case against a Carmel, Ind., physician it had previously accused of misconduct and being "unfit to practice," WRTV Indianapolis reported Nov. 26. 

Physician staffing firm NES Health is planning to shutter operations following financial challenges. 

Here are five major physician group deals Becker's has reported on in 2024:

A physician told Alabama's Medicaid Agency that the state must utilize newly available federal funding to address child gun violence cases, the Alabama Reflector reported Nov. 22. 

State laws restricting abortions and gender-affirming care have created confusion for many physicians as they try to identify the line between essential medicine and legality in a fast-moving political environment.

Alexander Nesbitt, MD, a physician in Williamsport, Pa., is retiring after 40 years of practice, the Williamsport Sun-Gazette reported Nov. 13.