You might think that federal watchdogs who fight Medicare fraud would also deploy their powers to protect patients, since the schemes they prosecute often involve billing for risky, unnecessary treatments.
Very often, you’d be wrong.
Just how often was tallied by Michael Berens, an award-winning investigative reporter, in his Reuters special report, “How doctors buy their way out of trouble.” The article is self-described as the“first-ever comprehensive analysis” of federal civil settlements and state disciplinary actions.
It’s an example of what Berens refers to as stories that “are hidden in plain sight,” if only someone took the time to dig through documents, data and human stories.