It’s hair-on-fire time in Congress. Lawmakers responsible for looking out for folks back home are in a mad dash to get a mountain of past-due work completed by year’s end. Buried under the headline-grabbing controversies is one of life and … Read More
HOUSTON, Nov. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — DentaQuest, the leading purpose-driven oral health company and the largest Medicaid dental benefits administrator in the nation, has donated $10,000 to the Memorial Hermann School-Based Health Centers’ mobile dental program. This donation marks the … Read More
GLADEWATER – An East Texas family is fighting the state to keep their son alive. Three year old Asa Robinson was adopted with multiple medical conditions, including a hole in his heart and shaken baby syndrome. Charity Robinson said she … Read More
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A local dentist accused of sexually assaulting a teen patient sues the police who put him behind bars. Jose Turcios, founder and owner of Healthy Smiles dentistry, was arrested by Little Rock Police in March 2015. … Read More
HICKORY – Several Viewmont Elementary students got a jump start on their dental care after a recent visit by the Gaston Family Health Services mobile dental unit. Viewmont Principal Jeff Hodakowski said this was the first year his school has … Read More
An alleged $100 million fraud lawsuit over gift cards given to people to urinate in cups at Whataburger bathrooms is heating up in federal court, with each side accusing the other of going too far. Insurance giant UnitedHealthcare alleges that … Read More
The recent news surrounding federal prosecutors bringing Medicare fraud cases against doctors, pharmacies and marketers in Texas cities provides some justice where it is needed. The cases in Texas spotlight a scheme involving pharmacy owners and marketers paying kickbacks and … Read More
AstraZeneca PLC is in talks to settle a Texas lawsuit claiming the company fleeced the state’s Medicaid program by fraudulently marketing one of its top drugs, according to court filings. Texas sued the drugmaker in 2013, saying AstraZeneca had targeted … Read More
If he’s confirmed as the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar will have his hands full. The Office of Inspector General has identified 10 management and performance challenges that the HHS faces across all … Read More
A Brooklyn doctor and four co-conspirators plead guilty in the past week to defrauding Medicare and Medicaid of $30 million, after it was discovered they were billing patients for unnecessary services. Elderly patients were charged for inessential tests and medical … Read More
A federal grand jury in Houston has returned a, indictment against three people, including two siblings, charging them with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, kickbacks and money laundering connected with an alleged federal workers’ compensation fraud scheme, according to the … Read More
HOUSTON (FOX 26) – In the weeks before Veterans Day, a Houston dentist met a U.S. Air Force veteran who was struggling with dental issues and decided to surprise him with the gift of $15,000 worth of dental work. Dr. … Read More
A newly unsealed Florida whistleblower lawsuit alleges software used at more than 300 hospitals is leading them to overbill Medicare and Medicaid. Epic Systems Corp.’s software does not comply with 2012 guidelines for counting the number of minutes a patient … Read More
AUSTIN – Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Charles Smith announced today Stephanie Muth will be the next State Medicaid director. She will oversee the Medicaid/CHIP Services division, which is the hub for the Texas Medicaid program. She will begin … Read More
Despite her claims to the contrary, a state appeals court panel has found that a woman committed insurance fraud when she lied so she could get her teeth fixed. Amy Lee Palmer sent a forged a letter from an insurer … Read More
Buda voters on Tuesday will decide whether the Central Texas city should again add fluoride to its water supply. The widespread and decades-old practice of fluoridation — roughly three-fourths of Americans live in communities with fluoridated water supplies — is … Read More
Two remaining defendants in a $36 million fraud scheme have admitted to taking part in the collection of unnecessary lab tests of saliva and urine that were billed to the U.S. military’s health care system, according to plea documents. Jody … Read More
A former WakeMed Health employee filed a lawsuit against a large electronic health record vendor under the False Claims Act for allegedly fraudulent practices in its medical claims software, according to court documents. Geraldine Petrowski, of North Carolina, alleges the … Read More
he husband and wife co-owners of a Matteson-based youth counseling center are accused of using an inflated billing scheme to defraud Medicaid out of millions of dollars, a lawsuit filed by the U.S. attorney in Chicago and the state alleges. … Read More
A former Aliso Viejo resident was sentenced to eight years in prison on Monday for submitting fraudulent bills to insurance companies for $8 million in medical tests and services that were never performed. Michael Mirando, 40, who now resides in … Read More
Police arrested a 55-year-old San Antonio man Monday accused of practicing dentistry without a license and performing an eight-hour surgery on a woman that caused “extreme damage” to her mouth. Isidro De Jesus Manjarres now faces a charge of practicing … Read More
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – An Osceola County judge denied two motions Monday to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a 17-year-old boy. The lawsuit alleges the 17-year-old stopped breathing during a dental procedure at a dental office … Read More
A Dallas woman on Thursday was the last of seven people sentenced in a large-scale health care fraud scheme. Cynthia Stiger, 52, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $23.6 million in restitution to Medicare … Read More
HOW brave the dental scammers are in advertising their services online, be it for dentures, braces or retainers! Equally alarming is the growing pool of customers using the services of fake dentists. Many eyes were opened to the trend of … Read More
AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton says the man who shelled out the most money to help him combat securities fraud charges is a “family friend,” but a review of campaign finance records show his main financier is also a … Read More
San Antonio — Open enrollment for Medicare is going on now through December 7th, giving scam artists another opportunity to steal personal information from unsuspecting recipients. Medical identity theft is different than other types of identity theft in that someone … Read More
Cesar Tavera, the former executive director of a community health center in Camden, was sentenced Monday to more than five years in prison for stealing money from the nonprofit, which was created to provide mental health services for the city’s … Read More
Antibiotics prescribed by dentists can put patients at risk for developing a serious and potentially deadly infection that causes severe diarrhoea, according to US research presented at IDWeek 2017 earlier this month. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) tracked community-associated … Read More
I was at the dentist recently for a toothache. He snapped some X-rays, gave my mouth a quick lookover, said I appeared to have cracked the tooth (likely from my severe TMJ) and would need a root canal. He forwarded … Read More
CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — The executive director of a nonprofit that provided mental health services to Camden’s poor is now headed to prison for embezzling funds and using unqualified people to treat Medicaid recipients. Federal prosecutors say Cesar Tavera was … Read More
Alerted to a medical emergency at the dental office next door, registered nurse Chelsea Moriartey grabbed a crash cart and ran to help. As she rushed into the room, she saw a small girl lying on the floor. Dr. William … Read More
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The program to hand out food relief to Harvey victims, known as D-SNAP, is creating long traffic lines and big headaches around Deussen Park in northeast Harris County. The three-day disaster relief site opened for a … Read More
The FBI arrested a Texas man last week for allegedly scheming to bilk insurance companies for more than $25 million by posing as a physician. According to the Department of Justice, David Williams, 54, ran the scam between November of … Read More
HOUSTON, Oct. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Joel M. Androphy and Janis Gorton of the Berg & Androphy law firm, along with the United States and the State of Texas, have reached a $5 million settlement in False Claims Act litigation … Read More
DALLAS — Andrew Joseph Baumiller, 38, of Dallas, Texas, pleaded guilty Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge David L. Horan to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud stemming from a scheme to defraud TRICARE, the health insurance program … Read More
In New Jersey, the police have an odd enforcement tactic against drunken driving. Cops often list in newspapers the specific areas where there will be DWI checkpoints. Why? I don’t know. Anyone planning to get boozed up and behind the … Read More
SAN DIEGO — Antibiotics prescribed by dentists could be contributing to cases of potentially deadly Clostridium difficile, according to findings presented in a press conference at IDWeek 2017. C difficile infections are the primary cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea, and antibiotic … Read More
A hearing starts Monday for the dentist who cared for five-year-old Amber Athwal before she suffered brain damage while under a general anesthetic a year ago. Dr. William Mather faces a charge of unprofessional conduct under the Health Professions Act. … Read More
If there is one thing I have learned most certainly in my career working to raise quality and lower cost of health care, it is that people don’t stop getting sick or injured just because they don’t have insurance. For … Read More
A 68-year-old Cedar Park man who recruits patients for medical practices has pleaded guilty to allegedly collecting kickbacks from Austin-area physicians.Appearing in federal court on Wednesday, Glen Elwood McKenzie, Jr., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count … Read More
