CMS has once again revised penalties for hospitals under its Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, which cuts hospitals' Medicare payments up to 1 percent for higher-than-expected 30-day readmission rates for heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia patients, according to a Kaiser Health News report.

According to a report by the Salt Lake Tribune, the U.S. Attorney's Office is seeking to dismiss one-third of its charges against a Utah orthopedic surgeon who was accused of prescribing millions of pain pills to patients without legitimate medical needs.

According to a report by ABC News, Florida authorities report that 34 pain patients treated just in 2011 by Joseph Hernandez, MD, are dead and they are considering pressing charges against him for those deaths.

Anthony Galea, MD, an orthopedic surgeon in Toronto, has agreed to cooperate with federal investigators on charges that he used human growth hormones when treating professional athletes, according to a report from The Vancouver Sun.