December 14, 2015 — When it comes to oral health in the U.S., it’s easy to focus on the work that still needs to be done. However, a hefty new ADA Health Policy Institute (HPI) report details a promising trend … Read More
December 10, 2015 — Eighty-five Texas dental patients have died since 2010, according to an investigative report by the Dallas Morning News published December 10.The report also estimates that about 1,000 people have died nationwide following dental procedures.”Deadly Dentistry” is … Read More
Almost two months after Gov. Greg Abbott praised state health officials for moving decisively to drop Planned Parenthood as a Medicaid health-care provider, the organization is still seeing patients and being reimbursed under the program.State health officials have not yet … Read More
AUSTIN — House budget writers held a four-hour hearing Thursday on a long-running procurement mess at the state attorney general’s office. Guess who completely escaped mention? Gov. Greg Abbott, that’s who. That was curious because Abbott was attorney general for … Read More
A 4-year-old Dallas boy goes to get cavities fixed — and is drugged to death. First they drugged him. Then they sent Mom to the waiting room. Then they strapped his torso and wrists to a padded board. But Junior … Read More
ROCHESTER – Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the arrest and guilty plea of Erica Viverette, a Rochester licensed practical nurse employed to provide private nursing services to a special needs young adult, for stealing nearly $5,000 from the … Read More
The U.S. government has recovered $1.9 billion from companies and individuals in the healthcare industry through False Claims Act cases in the fiscal year ending Sep. 30, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.The healthcare industry accounted for the bulk of … Read More
I wanted to bring to your attention my recent experience at one of your offices. As a fellow business owner, I would want to know when one of my customers had a bad experience since transparency and feedback are great … Read More
AUSTIN — Attorney General Ken Paxton has removed 11 technology contractors who were working on a problem-plagued upgrade to the state’s child-support data system.The shakeup comes as House members are set next week to begin an investigation into how the … Read More
HOUSTON – Regent Management Services L.P. has agreed to pay approximately $3.199 million to settle allegations that it received kickbacks from various ambulance companies in exchange for rights to its more lucrative Medicare and Medicaid transport referrals. Several government officials, … Read More
November 30, 2015 — If you pay your hygienist a guaranteed salary, it could be hurting your practice. Surprised? Think about it. While you know exactly how much you need to pay your hygienist each month and your hygienist knows … Read More
ALBANY – The State of New York is getting into the luxury car business courtesy of a pair of Medicaid scammers who were busted in Brooklyn. Officials are preparing to auction off two high-priced cars – including a 2013 Mercedes-Benz … Read More
Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–November 20, 2015. A Texas man was sentenced today to 63 months for his role in a $3.4 million scheme to defraud Medicare, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Kenneth … Read More
A McAllen doctor was convicted Friday after he pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud and an illegal kickback scheme with his assistant. Eduardo Carrillo, 42, admitted he attempted to bill Medicare for providing services to deceased patients, according to a news … Read More
Planned Parenthood’s Texas affiliates on Monday filed a federal lawsuit to keep state health officials from booting them from the state’s Medicaid program. Following Texas’ announcement in October that it would stop funding any care for poor women at Planned Parenthood clinics — a response … Read More
Health and Human Services (HHS) transformation presents an opportunity to restructure the Texas HHS system to make it more functional, efficient, effective and responsive. As this two-year transformation process unfolds, HHS agencies will be asking for input from stakeholders: the … Read More
A state worker who came under scrutiny during a high-profile contracting scandal last year has been paid more than $100,000 over the past 11 months without having to work a single day. Frianita Wilson — who earns $115,000 a year … Read More
November 17, 2015 — The Supreme Court of Texas has dismissed a petition that would have prevented practitioners from receiving Medicare funds when that provider is being investigated for fraud. In the November 13 dismissal, the state Supreme Court upheld … Read More
Amanda Barry, holding her son Dominic who she claims was among the dozens of children brutally treated by dentist Howard Schneider, smiled on Monday hoping the arrest of the former Jacksonville dentist meant he could not harm any more children. … Read More
November 12, 2015 — A U.S. federal court has ruled in favor of ClearCorrect in a case involving digital data, noting that the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) does not have authority over the data. The case has implications that … Read More
A federal jury on Thursday convicted a Bowie, Md., couple of orchestrating a multi-year campaign to defraud D.C. Medicaid of more than $80 million between 2009 and 2014, the largest local health-care fraud scheme ever prosecuted in the city. After a … Read More
State officials canceled their multimillion-dollar Medicaid contract with financially troubled TAPS Public Transit on Thursday and launched an investigation into the possibility of fraud. Sherman-based Texoma Area Paratransit System won the three-year contract in July 2014 to provide non-emergency medical … Read More
A Pharr woman has been sentenced for her role in a scheme to defraud the Medicare program, according to a news release from the Department of Justice. Martha Lidia Flores, 51, pled guilty to conspiring to commit health care fraud … Read More
Medicaid providers can now find their patients’ medical histories on YourTexasBenefitsCard.com. Medicaid Eligibility and Health Information Services added the Blue Button to the site in September. Once a provider or office staff receives a client’s consent, they can log in to … Read More
Republicans are openly feuding over whether to seek drastic changes to Medicare, Social Security and other entitlement programs, risking a potentially damaging intraparty battle ahead of the 2016 elections. The rift was exemplified this week by the GOP stars of … Read More
AUSTIN – Texas Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Chris Traylor announced today Dr. John Hellerstedt is returning to the HHS system Jan. 1, this time as commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services.Hellerstedt, who last served the … Read More
In his first State of the State address to the Texas Legislature in early 2015, newly elected Gov. Greg Abbott challenged lawmakers to dedicate their unfolding 140-day session to ethics reform, asserting that “the most important commodity that we have … Read More
Texas could bring home $7 billion annually in federal dollars and cover more than a million uninsured U.S. adults today. Instead, Texans are stuck in the health care “coverage gap” — lacking the uninsured’s access to health insurance because they … Read More
November 6, 2015 — Adults enrolled in Medicaid may be living with unresolved dental problems, according to a new study. Almost half of the adults in the study who visited an emergency department (ED) for dental care did not visit … Read More
The federal government has warned Texas that it cannot block Medicaid participants from “qualified providers of their choice” or because of the provider’s “scope of practice.” In doing so, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has essentially put … Read More
SAN ANTONIO — The Texas health commission soon will begin a new project to fight waste, fraud and abuse in the state Medicaid program, a year after another anti-fraud effort fell apart in scandal. The “integrity initiative,” to be launched later … Read More
After more than a decade at the job, State Auditor John Keel plans to retire as of Jan. 4, his office confirmed Monday. “When I accepted my current job on Dec. 1, 2004, I expected to be here approximately 6 … Read More
The Health and Human Services Commission ruled Monday that it followed state contracting rules when it doled out a $68 million technology deal in September and that it doesn’t have to rebid the job. Deputy Executive Commissioner Ron Pigott dismissed … Read More
Gary Jessee, a 20-year veteran of state service, will be Texas’ new state Medicaid director, Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Chris Traylor announced Oct. 30. Jessee, who has served three years as the Medicaid/CHIP Division’s chief deputy director for … Read More
When Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick took to the mic on Texas Independence Day in March, he did so with the air of a man rallying his people before an alien invasion. “On March 2, 1836, a group of patriots gathered … Read More
HOUSTON—A Houston businessman has entered a guilty plea to engaging in a conspiracy to defraud Medicare of more than $6.6 million, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. At a hearing held today before U.S. District Kenneth Ellison, Robert Manning, 60, admitted … Read More
Texas officials are giving up on recovering most of the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on questionable Medicaid dental and orthodontic procedures. After years of an ongoing scandal over fraudulent billing and courtroom losses, the commission that oversees Medicaid … Read More
A House leader said Thursday that he plans to investigate the state’s oversight of a major technology contractor after Attorney General Ken Paxton alerted lawmakers to cost overruns in a contract. Earlier this week, Paxton aides informed GOP state leaders’ offices … Read More
Stuart Bowen, the inspector general of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, told The Dallas Morning News that a whistleblower alleging Medicaid fraud at Texas Planned Parenthood clinics spurred the agency’s investigation. The Daily Signal previously reported that inspectors from the … Read More
The editorial board of the Austin American Statesman has called the decision by Texas “lawmakers and state officials” to investigate Planned Parenthood for Medicaid fraud part of a “witch hunt” that won’t stop until the health care provider “is completely dismantled … Read More
