Three arrested in $90 million Medicare fraud scheme – 12/14/11

Three owners of Spectrum Care in West Houston, a mental health care program, were arrested for defrauding Medicare out of $90 million in fake treatments. According to the indictment, Mansour Sanjar, Cyrus Sajadi, and Chandra Nunn’s scheme involved illegal healthcare kickbacks and fraudulent Medicare billings for treatments that amounted to patients “watching movies, playing bingo or engaging in other activities.”

Read more at: http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/3-arrested-in-90-million-Medicare-fraud-scheme-2403896.php

Medtronic to Pay 23.5M for False Claims Settlement—12/13/11

Medtronic will pay $23.5 million to settle DOJ allegations of illegal kickbacks and wrongful use of cardiac implants, but will not admit any misconduct. DOJ civil division Tony West states, “Kickbacks, like those alleged here, distort sound medical judgments with financial incentives paid for by the taxpayers.” Medtronic’s Dr. Marshall Stanton states that Medtronic is happy to have the investigation behind them.

Read more at: http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/12/12/medtronic-to-pay-23-5m-to-settle-kickback-claims/

Senators Scrutinize CMS over Felons Enrolled in Medicare —12/12/11

Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) are questioning the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) ability to protect seniors and taxpayer dollars, when the organization has allowed dozens of convicted felons to enroll in Medicare and bill the government for services. “We believe that the lack of systematic editing, the refusal to implement enhanced oversight of high-risk providers and suppliers, and malleable policy positions are the wrong direction for the Medicare program,” the senators have stated.

Read more at: http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/12/12/gvsd1212.htm

Home Healthcare Services Booming in Houston, but Violating Regulations—12/03/11

Medicare has given $1.25 billion for home-based health care services in Houston, Texas for over four years. But according to a Houston Chronicle investigation, nearly all the agencies that provide care for the elderly and disabled have violated state and federal regulations. Although declining to provide details due to ongoing investigations, Assistant U.S. Attorney Justo Mendez informed the Chronicle that some companies in Houston bill fraudulently for services not rendered.

Read more at: http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Home-health-care-firms-breaking-rules-raking-in-2342534.php

Olympus Former Chief Executive and Whistleblower Resigns from the Board —12/03/11

Former chief executive of Japan’s Olympus Corp. has resigned from the board in light of several allegations of a whistleblower. Michael Woodford, who worked at Olympus for three decades, was fired in October after questioning the company’s accounting practices. Upon his departure, Woodford vowed to work with shareholders to replace the company’s board and hopes that the company will come clean about its accounting cover up. Speculation still remains as to the amount that Olympus falsified. The company must submit a proper financial report by December 14, or it could be delisted by the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Read more at: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10770490

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