Overview
- The 78-page federal False Claims Act complaint was unsealed in mid-June and is now pending in federal court.
- Former ED nurses who filed the suit say nurse Nolan Chismire stole controlled substances for years, injected drugs in the hospital, and treated patients while impaired.
- The complaint links alleged misconduct to two late-2024 deaths, describing a delayed medication error for a 70-year-old woman and inadequate care for a 47-year-old man who later suffered a fatal head injury.
- Heritage Valley has denied wrongdoing in court filings while whistleblower attorneys say they are still investigating and are inviting others with knowledge to come forward; plaintiffs’ counsel said Chismire was employed when the suit was unsealed.
- If the suit succeeds, it could expose the hospital to False Claims Act liability for allegedly billing insurers for drugs not given and prompt broader reviews of hospital reporting, drug-testing and supervisory practices.