International Waste Archives - Page 5 of 8

Florida Doctor Receives 10-Year Sentence For Sober Home Scheme

June 15, 2017

A Florida doctor has received a 10-year federal prison sentence for the role he played in a sober-home fraud scheme that prompted widespread investigation.

Donald Willems, 41, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and received the maximum sentence, according to The Palm Beach Post. According to court documents, Willems signed off on unnecessary drug, allergy and DNA tests during his time as the medical director at Reflections Treatment Center in Margate, Florida.

American Medical Association opposes Medicaid funding caps, adopts new policies

June 14, 2017

The American Medical Association’s House of Delegates voted to adopt new policies during the national physician organization’s annual meeting this week, and in the process reaffirmed its opposition to caps on Medicaid funding, eyeing a possible healthcare overhaul by Congress and the Trump administration.

Carl A. Sirio, MD, said in a statement that capping Medicaid funding would be “disastrous” for patients because it would limit medical responses to unforeseen events and medical innovations.

Trump tells Senators new GOP healthcare bill is ‘mean’

June 14, 2017

During a lunch meeting with GOP senators on Wednesday, President Donald Trump called the House-version of the American Health Care Act “mean,” and urged them to make it more generous.

Trump reportedly talked about having a bill come out of the Senate that protects people with preexisting conditions and having a tax credit that works for low income elderly Americans, according to the story originally reported by the Associated Press.

3 Whistleblower Suits Net over $60 Million in Medicare Fraud

June 12, 2017

June 12, 2017 – Whistleblower lawsuits alleging Medicare fraud have been settled against two diagnostic testing companies, and a California doctor who was alleged to have falsely diagnosed cancer as a means to bill Medicare for expensive surgeries.

Medicare fraud remains a prominent issue that has recently garnered renewed calls for increased federal audits and investigation. A key factor for the prosecution of these suits comes from the involvement of whistleblowers, who were central to these three recent settlements.

read more at healthpayerintelligence.com

Woman gets 5-year sentence for health-care fraud

June 9, 2017

BOISE — A Fruitland woman will serve five years in prison for her role in health-care fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Cherie R. Dillon, 62, of Fruitland, was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for health-care fraud and aggravated identity theft, Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael Gonzalez announced in a news release.

U.S. Falls Behind China & Canada In Advancing Healthcare With A.I.

June 1, 2017

The United States leads the world in artificial intelligence, but lags behind other countries in applying technical innovations to the field of healthcare. Globally, machine learning is used to increase efficiency, lower error rates, and decrease medical costs, but the fragmented marketplace and lack of universal healthcare in America disincentivize adoption of new technology as buyers often prioritize economics over patient care.

Sally Daub, CEO of Enlitic, a frontrunner in providing AI-based healthcare solutions, illuminates why healthcare technology adoption is stunted. “Here the conversation revolves around ‘Who is going to pay for this? What are the economic incentives to use this technology?’ rather than ‘Will this technology result in better outcomes for patients?’,” she explains. Payoff structures may even discourage insurers from footing the bill for early intervention treatments. If insurers don’t approve a new technology, they don’t issue insurance procedure codes necessary for healthcare providers to be reimbursed for services, which means providers won’t adopt the solution either.

Wyoming psychologist indicted on $6.8 million in healthcare fraud

May 24, 2017

Cheyenne, Wyo. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment on May 19th charging Powell psychologist Gibson Condie with 234 counts of health care fraud involving approximately $6.8 million in fraudulent bills submitted to Wyoming Medicaid.

That’s according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

This indictment was the result of an investigation by the FBI, the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, and the Wyoming Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.

The FBI And Defense Department Are Investigating America’s Biggest Psychiatric Hospital Chain

May 23, 2017

America’s largest chain of psychiatric hospitals is the target of a multi-agency federal investigation into whether it systematically holds patients longer than necessary to maximize revenues — an allegation two nurses at one of its facilities raised following a protest at its headquarters in Pennsylvania last week.

According to three sources with direct knowledge of the investigation, officials are examining whether Universal Health Services directs its hospitals to hold patients for as many days as their insurer agrees to pay for, regardless of actual medical need. The probe has been ongoing since at least 2013, when the Department of Health and Human Services issued subpoenas to 10 UHS psychiatric hospitals.

But BuzzFeed News has exclusively learned that the investigation has since broadened to include the FBI and the Department of Defense, which is scrutinizing UHS’s billings to Tricare, the insurance plan for active military and their families. UHS, a $12 billion company, made nearly one-third of its revenues last year from government insurance providers such as Medicare and Medicaid.

It’s not just Americans who need to worry about health-care costs: Pape

May 12, 2017

Last week, I spent four days in hospital for a surgical procedure (don’t worry, nothing life-threatening). When I was discharged, I was presented with a bill for $1,055. That covered semi-private accommodation (the hospital had no facilities that qualified as “wards”) and some recommended post-op massage therapy. None of the expenses were covered by OHIP.

I have a family member who suffers from a rare and debilitating disease. His specialists have prescribed a very rare drug, which costs about $3,000 a month. It is not covered by OHIP.

A friend of mine has a very serious eye condition. He requires monthly shots just to maintain the limited vision he has left, at a cost of $1,500. Since he is under age 65, he has to pay for these out of his own pocket. OHIP doesn’t cover it.

Hawaii joins call for increasing authority in Medicaid fraud investigations

May 11, 2017

Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin has joined the attorneys general of 37 states and the District of Columbia to widen their authority in the investigation of Medicaid fraud.

The National Association of Attorneys General is urging the federal government to change its policy, so state attorneys general can use federal funds to investigate and prosecute a wider range of Medicaid abuse and neglect cases. The letter was sent to Tom Price, secretary of health and human services.