The giant, nationwide pharmacy Walgreens went through many changes in 2019. The year began with a new partnership with Microsoft to help better ensure the pharmacy was up to date on technological innovations for health care delivery as well as retail innovations. The...
Month: December 2019
DOJ charges Texas billing clerk with health care fraud
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) continues its focus on health care fraud investigations involving National Football League (NFL) players. The agency recently announced another round of criminal charges. As discussed in a recent post, the agency indicted...
Doctor gets 20-year prison sentence for health care fraud
The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently accused a neurosurgeon of partaking in a health care fraud scheme that cost the government almost $3 million.What was the alleged scheme? According to the prosecution, the physician was associated with a medical device company...
Private investors and NY’s strict non-physician ownership laws
Private investors are a big part of the health care market. But how are these entrepreneurs getting into markets that have strict rules against such relationships? In New York, for example, state law prohibits non-physician ownership in a medical practice. Yet,...
DOJ accuses football players of health care fraud
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced it will pursue charges against ten former players for the National Football League (NFL). The government has accused these professional athletes of partaking in a scheme to file false and fraudulent...
Will tech innovations help address nursing shortage in TX?
Texas and states throughout the country are in the midst of a nursing shortage. The problem is so serious, that the dean of the Texas A&M College of Nursing recently testified before a U.S. committee. The testimony included a discussion on innovations within...
Will HHS increase oversight of patient assistance charities?
Lawmakers are encouraging the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to increase oversight of patient assistance charities. These charities are set up to help pay for the cost of prescription medications. However, there are allegations the...
Speaker fees or bribery? NY doctor fights criminal charges.
Physicians may accept speaker fees for certain engagements. In some cases, the speaker fees may result from leading a course for others within the medical community. In others, the compensation may result from a talk given to share information about a new technique...
Texas counselor accused of health care fraud
The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas recently announced the agency was moving forward with criminal health care fraud charges against a mental health provider. The government has accused the counselor of fraudulently billing Medicare,...
Successful Appeal – Medicare Overpayment Reduced by Over 3.3 Million
Recently, a Medicare certified home health agency received a letter from CMS alleging that the home health agency received an overpayment in the amount of $3,351,149.00. prepared a Redetermination appeal that contested the overpayment by...