The 2024 Lown Institute Shkreli Awards highlighted ten egregious examples of healthcare profiteering and dysfunction. The awards recognized practices ranging from the alleged sale of unclaimed body parts by a university health science center to Medicare’s mass billing for urinary catheters, representing an 800% increase. Further awardees included a medical device company employing shady billing practices, a hospital system prioritizing profit over patient care, and a pharmaceutical company marketing a cancer drug at a significantly higher, less effective dose. These cases, selected by a panel of experts, underscore the urgent need for systemic healthcare reform.
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Erin Elizabeth Ann Strotman, a former Henrico Doctors’ Hospital employee, was arrested and charged with malicious wounding and felony child abuse. The charges stem from three infants in the hospital’s NICU sustaining unexplained fractures in late 2024, echoing a similar incident involving four babies in 2023. Following the discovery, the hospital launched an internal investigation, notified authorities, and implemented enhanced security measures including live-streaming and mandatory safety training. Police are currently re-examining both incidents as part of their ongoing investigation.
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I was a health insurance executive. What I saw made me quit. It wasn’t a single event, but a slow dawning realization of the system’s inherent cruelty and the complicity of those within it. The pursuit of profit above all else permeated every decision, every meeting, every strategy session.
It started subtly. The subtle nudges towards denying claims, framed as “cost-saving measures.” The training emphasized identifying “unnecessary expenses,” turning adjusters into soldiers in a war against the insured. Denying a claim from a woman who’d paid premiums for twenty years, citing “pre-existing damage,” was a turning point. It felt profoundly wrong, a betrayal of the very trust the system was built upon.… Continue reading
A New Mexico jury awarded a man over $412 million in a medical malpractice case against NuMale Medical Center, a multi-state men’s health clinic. The verdict, the largest ever in a U.S. medical malpractice case, stems from allegations of fraudulent misdiagnosis and unnecessary, damaging penile injections administered to a 66-year-old patient in 2017. The plaintiff’s attorneys described the clinic’s actions as a scheme to defraud elderly men, while NuMale stated it maintains safety standards and will not comment on specifics due to ongoing legal proceedings. The jury found the clinic liable for fraudulent and negligent conduct, as well as violations of the Unfair Practices Act.
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Porsha Ngumezi died from a preventable hemorrhage after experiencing a miscarriage at 11 weeks. Despite heavy bleeding and a known blood clotting disorder, the on-call obstetrician opted for misoprostol instead of a D&C, a procedure deemed necessary by over a dozen medical experts consulted. This decision, experts suggest, stemmed from Texas’ restrictive abortion laws, creating fear among doctors of legal repercussions for performing D&Cs, even in miscarriage cases. The resulting delay in appropriate care led to Porsha’s death, highlighting a pattern of similar tragic outcomes in Texas.
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Dallas anesthesiologist Raynaldo Ortiz received a 190-year prison sentence for tampering with IV bags, injecting them with the anesthetic bupivacaine. Ortiz was found guilty on all 10 counts, related to 10 patients who suffered complications, including the death of fellow anesthesiologist Melanie Kaspar. Impact statements from victims detailed devastating long-term health consequences and emotional trauma. The judge considered all incidents when imposing the maximum sentence, emphasizing Ortiz’s calculated and repeated actions.
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The family of Bobby Smallwood, a security guard fatally shot while protecting a maternity ward at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital, is suing the facility for $35 million. The lawsuit alleges that the hospital ignored multiple reports of threats and violent behavior from the shooter, PoniaX Calles, in the days leading up to the incident. Despite clear violations of the hospital’s workplace violence policy, administrators failed to remove Calles, ultimately leading to Smallwood’s preventable death. The family seeks justice and accountability for the hospital’s negligence, stating that they will not stop fighting until Legacy is held fully responsible for the loss of their son.
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As a Texan and a believer in justice, the recent case surrounding the potential execution of a man for a ‘shaken baby’ death has left me feeling conflicted and deeply concerned. The facts of the case are complex and raise significant questions about the reliability of the evidence presented. The father, who has an 8th-grade education and autism, brought his daughter to medical professionals in the days leading up to her tragic death due to what was later diagnosed as pneumonia. Despite seeking medical care for his child, he found himself in a nightmare scenario where his daughter ultimately perished.
The crux of the matter lies in the allegations of ‘Shaken Baby Syndrome’, a highly controversial and debated diagnosis within the medical and legal communities.… Continue reading
This situation involving the Oregon hospital being hit with a $303M lawsuit after a nurse allegedly replaced fentanyl with tap water is truly horrifying. The fact that patients were receiving tap water instead of pain medication, leading to bacterial infections and even deaths, is beyond comprehension. As someone who has personally experienced a family member going through surgeries and being heavily reliant on pain medication, the thought of them not receiving the proper care is terrifying. It is devastating to imagine the pain and suffering these patients had to endure due to the actions of this nurse.
The nurse in question, Dani Marie Schofield, was arrested and charged with 44 counts of second-degree assault.… Continue reading
The recent news about a Florida surgeon mistakenly removing a patient’s liver instead of the spleen is nothing short of horrifying. The tragic incident resulted in the patient’s untimely death, leaving behind a grieving widow who is now facing the harsh reality of losing her loved one due to a medical error. As I reflect on this shocking turn of events, I can’t help but feel a mixture of anger, disbelief, and sadness at the sheer negligence and incompetence displayed by the surgeon in question.
The fact that the surgeon, Dr. Shaknovsky, proceeded to remove the patient’s liver instead of the spleen, and then proceeded to label the removed organ as a ‘spleen,’ is beyond comprehension.… Continue reading
John Q. Hosedrinker 
Matt Underwood