AUSTIN – As the Texas fiscal year closes amid the coronavirus pandemic, state agencies are quietly moving forward with budget cuts through a process controlled entirely by top Republicans, putting services for low-income Texans in jeopardy at a time advocates … Read More
After spending nearly 10 months in prison, convicted dentist Nate Schott came back to his Murfreesboro home during the pandemic. “I’m just glad to be back home,” Schott said Tuesday. He was released in late May but will finish his … Read More
A man charged in a multimillion dollar Medicaid fraud scheme with roots in Roanoke Rapids and Ahoskie made his first court appearance in North Carolina last week. United States District Judge Richard E. Myers II ordered Timothy Mark Harron detained … Read More
Ghanshyam Bhambhani, a former Queens cardiologist, will pay a total of $2 million to settle civil claims that he paid kickbacks to other physicians for referrals of patients insured by Medicare, Medicaid and the Federal Employees’ Health Benefits Program, according … Read More
Reorganization and Sale Will Strengthen the Company’s Balance Sheet While the Company Continues to Operate Normally; Benevis Maintains Focus on Supporting Patients, Dentists, and Other Associates in the Dental Practices it serves. August 03, 2020 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight TimeMARIETTA, … Read More
A Texas-based pharmacy marketer has been charged by federal in a conjunction to a scheme to collect more than $60 million in healthcare kickbacks. Vinson Woodlee, owner and president of Med Left LLC, has been charged with violating the federal … Read More
LT Smile Corporation, along with its subsidiaries Benevis Holding Corporation, Benevis Corporation, Benevis LLC, Benevis Affiliates LLC, and Benevis Informatics LLC (“Benevis”), has filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code to generate recapitalization … Read More
UC Health confirmed Thursday it agreed to pay $3.1 million to settle a Medicare fraud lawsuit with nearly $800,000 going to the doctor who allegedly blew the whistle. Dr. Donald Lynch filed the lawsuit in August 2018 stating that hospital … Read More
Dr. Stella Immanuel, the Houston pastor-physician at the center of controversy over her unsupported claims that an anti-malaria drug can cure COVID-19, tweeted Thursday that the Texas Medical Board has opened an investigation of her. Source: Houston pastor-physician Stella Immanuel … Read More
ST. LOUIS — A dentist has been sentenced to prison for defrauding Illinois Medicaid out of hundreds of thousands of dollars over a period of several years. The Department of Justice said Dr. Yun Sup Kim, 49, of St. Louis, … Read More
A Dallas dentist who prosecutors said lived lavishly at his Preston Hollow home while filing fraudulent Medicaid claims has been ordered to pay roughly $16.5 million by a district court judge. Attorney General Ken Paxton said Tuesday state district court … Read More
HARLINGEN, Texas (KVEO) — The World Health Organization is urging dentist offices to close just as other businesses have as a result of the pandemic. WHO advises that non-essential oral health care stop until COVID-19 cases decline to avoid the … Read More
Federal employees and military retirees will have more insurance plans to choose from this year, as the Office of Personnel Management announced Aug. 11 that it has selected the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Program insurance carriers that will be … Read More
It’s been a month since the Small Business Administration released its Paycheck Protection Program recipient list, and several Lenoir County business owners have expressed their concerns over possible mistakes. Of the 93 Lenoir County businesses that received PPP loans, 17 … Read More
An anesthesiologist and one of the founding members of the defunct Forest Park Medical Center has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for his role in a $200 million bribery scam that forced the closing of the … Read More
BALTIMORE — On Friday, Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh announced that 40-year-old Roshun J. Harris, of Randallstown, pleaded guilty to one count of felony Medicaid Fraud for submitting claims that caused the Maryland Medical Assistance Program (Medicaid) to reimburse … Read More
A whistleblower lawsuit accuses Cigna of receiving “billions” in overpayments for its Medicare Advantage plans. The amended complaint, filed by the Department of Justice in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York a year ago, was … Read More
As she waited for the results of her rapid COVID-19 test, Rachel de Cordova sat in her car and read through a stack of documents given to her by SignatureCare Emergency Center. Without de Cordova leaving her car, the staff … Read More
AWaco couple is suing a local dental practice, alleging officials induced them to extract their teeth to have implants, falsified credit applications and then left the woman toothless after her insurance would not cover the procedure. Juan and Maria Flores … Read More
As COVID-19 spread across Texas in March, it became clear that the virus would batter the state’s 1,200 or so nursing homes, where some of the most vulnerable Texans were crammed together in largely understaffed, unprotected facilities. Five months later, … Read More
RALEIGH — Attorney General Josh Stein announced Wednesday that Lakeisha Shameika Jones pleaded guilty to fraud by a medical assistance provider and obtaining property by false pretenses. Jones was sentenced to eight to 19 months in prison and suspended for … Read More
Prosecutors in Texas announced Thursday that a federal judge has temporarily halted allegedly fraudulent coronavirus testing being administered by a masseuse at her holistic health care facility. U.S. District Judge David A. Ezra granted the government’s motion for a temporary … Read More
BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh on Wednesday announced that Maryland will receive more than $4.4 million to resolve allegations that Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (Novartis) paid kickbacks to health care practitioners in the form of cash, meals, entertainment, and … Read More
A Bakersfield dental office employee has been arrested after failing to pay back monies stolen during a fraud scheme. In June 2018, 42-year-old Karla Morales was charged with 45 felonies, including insurance fraud, identity theft, forgery, and grand theft after … Read More
In some nursing homes, 100% of the residents are positive for the coronavirus. That’s by design. These facilities have volunteered to devote part or all of their buildings exclusively to treating COVID-19 patients, who bring in more government money. But … Read More
For-profit nursing home providers that have faced accusations of Medicare fraud and kickbacks, labor violations or widespread failures in patient care received hundreds of millions of dollars in “no strings attached” coronavirus relief aid meant to cover shortfalls and expenses … Read More
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill., July 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — A settlement has been proposed in a class action involving interest payments on physician and healthcare provider invoices for care governed by the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act and arising under the … Read More
AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott today announced that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is extending flexibilities to Medicaid and CHIP recipients and providers through October 23rd, 2020, as the state continues to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. These … Read More
Some consumers who thought they were getting a simple COVID-19 test instead got a surprise bill charging their insurance company thousands of dollars. The Texas Association of Health Plans called it a dangerous new trend from a small number of … Read More
Providers will now be reimbursed for counseling people on self-isolation after they get tested for COVID-19, CMS and the CDC said July 30. The incentive aims to slow the spread of COVID-19 from presymptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. The CDC said … Read More
As the COVID-19 pandemic escalated, many healthcare organizations quickly adopted digital solutions to address increased demands of their staff and clinical teams. Traditional forms of employee communication and patient engagement couldn’t scale and would no longer suffice. Technology solutions previously … Read More
On Thursday, state Attorney General Ashley Moody announced that Florida will receive millions of dollars following a massive multistate health care fraud investigation. Florida, along with 49 states, territories and the federal government, settled allegations of fraud against Universal Health … Read More
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) – Three Pine Belt residents at the heart of a wide-spread fraud that bilked health-insurance providers out of more than a half billion dollars started serving federal prison terms Thursday after being sentenced in United Sates District … Read More
TALLAHASSEE, Florida, July 24 — Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody issued the following news release: Attorney General Ashley Moody announced that Florida will receive millions of dollars following a massive multistate health care fraud investigation. Florida, along with 49 states, territories and the federal government, settled allegations of fraud against Universal Health … Read More
The Southcentral Foundation has fired three dentists after an independent investigation found they had allegedly falsified health records. One of the dentists fired is the husband of the foundation’s president and chief executive officer. In a press release, the nonprofit … Read More
A federal grand jury in Maryland has indicted licensed dentist Edward T. Buford III, age 68, of Silver Spring, Maryland; his business partner Kasandra Vilchez-Duarte, age 44, of Fort Washington, Maryland; and Donnie Amis, age 63, of Washington, D.C. on … Read More
Under the prospective payment system (PPS), Medicare pays home health agencies (HHAs) for each 60 day episode of care that beneficiary receives, called a payment episode. During our audit period, if an HHA provided four or fewer visits in a … Read More
In a story related to another SIU post (see CrimeVoice July 14), here is the report of the other Bakersfield dental assistant’s arrest for fraud, according t0 the California Department of Insurance – “BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Registered dental assistant Maria … Read More
A Bethlehem chiropractor pleaded guilty in federal court to fraudulently submitting $236,000 in health insurance claims for patients he didn’t see and days he didn’t work, authorities said. Nicholas Bufanio, 53, of Hellertown, who operated Community Chiropractic Inc. in Bethlehem … Read More
MADISON, Wis. – Attorney General Josh Kaul, and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), today announced that Wisconsin and 27 other states and territories sued Mallinckrodt ARD LLC, formerly known as Mallinckrodt ARD Inc. and previously Questcor Pharmaceuticals Inc. … Read More
