A controversial whistle-blowing investigator for the state Office of Medicaid Inspector General has been reinstated by a labor arbitrator who says higher-ups at the agency placed him on paid suspension in 2012, and then forgot about him. A few months … Read More
Health care realities for Georgia’s at-risk children often resemble something out of Dickens. And it’s not always just the abjectly poor who suffer, but also those who fall into the gaps between those eligible for public assistance and those whose … Read More
At a Managed Medicaid Town Hall meeting in May, state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, heard numerous concerns about Medicaid reimbursement (payment) schedules and the large losses that McAllen area hospitals are experiencing when these institutions care for Medicaid patients. … Read More
The irony of Barb Lewis’ situation is that if she wasn’t so poor, she wouldn’t risk losing what little she has. The Iowa City woman, who is among the 13 percent of Iowans who live in poverty, discovered this year that … Read More
Three hospitals in New York’s Mount Sinai Health System will pay $2.95 million to settle Medicaid fraud charges for taking two years to repay more than $844,000 of improper billings that had been flagged by a whistleblower, authorities said on … Read More
GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump strongly praised Rick Perry when asked at an Austin fundraiser on Tuesday about the possibility of the former governor challenging U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in a Republican primary. “I’ve been hearing a lot about that … Read More
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) A recent Utah state audit has revealed that Medicaid money was used to pay for a small number of ineligible controlled-substance prescriptions. The Salt Lake Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2b6sFjH ) that the Auditor’s Office found several problems … Read More
A Swanton woman has been convicted of Medicaid fraud and ordered to serve prison time after she submitted false time sheets claiming three employees had provided personal care services to her children. Karen Tucker pleaded guilty and was convicted of four counts of Medicaid … Read More
This week, Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services expects to award Medicaid contracts worth more than $7 billion annually that cover almost 421,000 low-income, disabled adults. But the contracts were scheduled to be awarded in June, raising questions about why state … Read More
LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced the conviction of eastern Arkansans for Medicaid fraud. Andrea Jefferson of Crittenden County pleaded guilty in Pulaski County District Court. She has been ordered to pay $470 in restitution to … Read More
The weekend can’t come fast enough for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. On Wednesday, federal officials asked the state’s largest agency to return $57,884,268, the federal share of $95,359,841 in supplemental payments to doctors made improperly from 2004 to … Read More
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a report from its Office of the Inspector General (OIG) regarding the wireless networks of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) facilities. The report shows that CMS, which collects … Read More
Edith Stowe, 83, waited patiently on a recent afternoon at the bus stop outside MedStar Washington Hospital Center in the District of Columbia. It’s become routine for her, but that doesn’t make it any easier. Stowe, who lives about five … Read More
Computer giant Hewlett Packard Enterprises has entered into a $215 million contract with the state of Kansas to upgrade a Medicaid computer system that tracks patient claims payments to providers. According to a recent news release from the California-based company, … Read More
The state of Colorado could have to pay back more than $38 million it received in bonuses from the federal government for enrolling more children in Medicaid, after an audit concluded the state received money for kids who didn’t qualify.The audit was conducted by … Read More
In 2015, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimated that taxpayers lost $136 billion to improper payments, a low-end estimate that mostly came from Medicare and Medicaid. The two popular and costly federal health care programs are growing rapidly, yet they … Read More
A Baker woman accused of defrauding Louisiana to the tune of $1 million-plus in a Medicaid fraud scheme has been sentenced to five years in prison. Even though 38-year-old Chanda Hall pleaded guilty in April to a racketeering charge, The … Read More
HARTFORD — A state court has ordered a Winsted dentist to pay $717,046 in restitution and fines for bilking the state’s Medicaid program, including using unlicensed assistants to provide pediatric dental cleanings and fluoride treatments. http://rep-am.com/news/local/974243.txt Republican American
DALLAS C The Estate of Dr. Kenneth Michael Rice and UMC Physicians (UMCP) have agreed to pay a total of $3,280,000.00 to the United States and the State of Texas to settle allegations that Dr. Rice and UMCP violated the … Read More
AUSTIN — The lawyer for a whistleblower who sued a top Ken Paxton donor said he was unaware the donor gave $100,000 to the attorney general during an investigation into his client’s claims, and he wants proof that it did … Read More
August 2, 2016 — A project designed to improve the oral health of children up to 5 years old succeeded in getting more kids to the dentist. The 21st Century Dental Homes Project achieved the goal by tackling common barriers … Read More
A woman has been sentenced to three years in prison for Medicaid fraud. Delphine Lucas, 50, pleaded guilty to one felony count of vendor fraud on July 7, according to a statement from Illinois State Police. She has since been … Read More
If the irony of Ken Paxton being Texas’ attorney general were a wall, it would be a huge, magnificent wall growing taller by the day. As the state’s top legal authority, an attorney general is expected to be above ethical … Read More
AUSTIN — A top lawyer at the attorney general’s office was fired last year when she raised concerns that her bosses were breaking federal rules as they scrambled to salvage a foundering technology deal that has cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. After Martha … Read More
There may be, strictly speaking, a question on the legality, but there is no question on the ethics. Attorney General Ken Paxton was wrong to accept a gift from a party under investigation by his office.Last year, Preferred Imaging founder … Read More
LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced the sentence of a Johnson County woman who pleaded guilty to Medicaid fraud. Sherry Wommack, 46, was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay a $600 fine, … Read More
July 29, 2016 — Is it possible to recreate the dental service organization (DSO) model and put the dentist and the patient first, not the organization? An industry veteran has launched a new DSO called Avitus Dental Management Solutions in … Read More
Dang. That Ken Paxton sure seems snakebit. The Texas attorney general’s latest pratfall was the sort of mistake that your average statewide politician is — or ought to be — too paranoid to make. Paxton was indicted last year for allegedly steering people to … Read More
AUSTIN — Attorney General Ken Paxton took a $100,000 gift from a Texas CEO who was being investigated for Medicare and Medicaid fraud, but he had no knowledge of the probe and his agency had little to do with it, multiple agencies … Read More
Facing possible prison time over accusations that he defrauded investors in 2011, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton insists that he is the victim of a politically motivated witch hunt because he dares to run his powerful agency based on conservative … Read More
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accepted $100,000 from the head of a company his office was investigating for Medicaid fraud despite internal rules at his agency that prohibit such gifts. Paxton is using the money toward … Read More
AUSTIN — A North Texas company whose president gave Ken Paxton $100,000 last year to fight his felony fraud indictments will pay $3.5 million after allegations it skimped on services to Medicaid and Medicare patients while over-billing the government. A former employee who brought the original lawsuit against Preferred … Read More
The owner of more than 30 Miami-area skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, a hospital administrator and a physician’s assistant were charged with conspiracy, obstruction, money laundering and health care fraud in connection with a $1 billion scheme involving numerous … Read More
Touting a breakthrough in combating rampant fraud in the Medicare and Medicaid health care systems, the Obama Administration on Wednesday told Congress that it had prevented $42 billion of improper payments to doctors and other medical providers in fiscal 2013 … Read More
DALLAS — Preferred Imaging, LLC, (Preferred Imaging), a provider of diagnostic imaging services, has agreed to pay $3,510,000 to resolve allegations that it improperly billed Medicare and Medicaid for services performed without proper medical supervision in violation of the False … Read More
Texas delegation sponsors also got convention guest passes and access to the “morning briefing receptions with members of Texas’ congressional delegation, statewide elected officials and legislators.” The sponsors are Toyota, Charter Communications, MCNA Dental, GM, AT&T, Expedia, Phillips 66, IBC … Read More
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — A former Oklahoma oral surgeon whose filthy clinics led to thousands of patients being tested for HIV and hepatitis was sentenced Thursday to six months’ house arrest for fraudulently billing Medicaid for anesthesia services that were … Read More
July 14, 2016 — Dental tourism has been expanding, especially for pricey procedures such as implants and root canals. Patients say they’ve received good care and saved thousands on expensive dental treatment by traveling abroad, but the ADA warns it … Read More
Many Americans lack access to basic, affordable oral health care. Tooth decay is the most preventable unmet health need in the United States, yet one-quarter of children have tooth decay before they enter kindergarten and one-third of adults report having … Read More
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (July 12, 2016) – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced the conviction of a Crittenden County woman for Medicaid fraud. Lacasha Perry pleaded guilty in Pulaski County District Court. Perry will pay a fine of $2,916. She … Read More
