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UnitedHealth Doctors Interviewed by DOJ as Shareholder Suits Multiply

Federal interviews of former doctors highlight intensifying legal scrutiny ahead of UnitedHealth’s Q2 earnings release.

The corporate logo of the UnitedHealth Group appears on the side of one of their office buildings in Santa Ana, California, U.S., April 13, 2020.      REUTERS/Mike Blake
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Overview

  • DOJ investigators have interviewed former UnitedHealth doctors and employees to probe whether they were trained to submit diagnoses that yield higher payments under Medicare Advantage.
  • Shareholders have filed multiple derivative lawsuits in Minnesota accusing current and former leaders, including Stephen Hemsley and Andrew Witty, of breaching fiduciary duties, engaging in insider trading and unjust enrichment.
  • One lawsuit claims that inflated coding practices continued through 2024, generating billions in excess reimbursements and artificially boosting UnitedHealth’s financial results and share price.
  • UnitedHealth’s shares have dropped approximately 40% since January, erasing about $119 billion in market capitalization this year.
  • The company denies receiving formal notice of a DOJ probe and calls related media coverage incomplete and flawed as it readies its second-quarter earnings report and updated guidance on July 29.