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Hospital chain HCA has agreed to pay $2 million to settle allegations that doctors at one of its hospitals in Georgia performed unnecessary, low-quality heart procedures. Whistle-blower Dr. Michael Fenster first filed the False Claims Act case in 2010, but it wasn't made public until last week. Fenster, who was the executive director of the cardiovascular program at HCA's Fairview Park Hospital in Dublin, Ga., alleged that two Fairview doctors performed medically unnecessary procedures, leading to patient harm and death. (Schencker, 12/22)

A proposed merger of two of the largest hospital systems in the Chicago area faces increasing opposition. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and the Federal Trade Commission on Monday sought to block the merger of Advocate Health Care and NorthShore University HealthSystem in U.S. District Court in Chicago. They are seeking a preliminary injunction to delay the merger until the FTC can complete a full antitrust review. (12/22)

A Port Angeles carpenter who lost the use of his left hand after a Harborview Medical Center resident allegedly failed to recognize and treat a serious complication has been awarded more than $1.5 million in a malpractice verdict. John Pluard, now 56, received $1.3 million in economic and noneconomic damages and his wife, Lisa Pluard, 51, received $275,000 in noneconomic damages in the Monday verdict in King County Superior Court. (Aleccia, 12/22)