medicaid fraud

> Microsoft has won a $36 million contract to upgrade Australia's e-health infrastructure and build a platform for the country's electronic medical record system. Article

> Guidant's first trial over one of its faulty defibrillators has been postponed. Article

> Johns Hopkins said it is removing …

> Boston Scientific scored a legal victory in its fight with Johnson & Johnson over the drug eluting stent market when a Dutch court ruled in its favor. Article

> Bad numbers though, for Natick, MA-based Boston Scientific, which reported a loss of $269 million for the third quarter due to declining sales of its Taxus stent and a $598 million legal settlement.  …

Pataki administration officials in New York are defending themselves from charges that the health department has been lax in pursuing Medicaid fraud. An investigative report by The New York Times several months ago found widespread abuse throughout the state, leading to calls to reform the program. Executive Deputy Commissioner Dennis Whalen told a special session of the New York State assembly that the newspaper report exaggerated the extent of the problem and did not …

> Infection has become a major concern as EPA tests found bacteria levels in the flood waters in and around New Orleans at 10 times the dangerous level. Story (Wall Street Journal sub. req.)

> An FDA advisory committee is expected to rule today on whether or not to approve an inhaled version of insulin made by Sanofi-Aventis and Pfizer. …

> Northern Virginia-based Proxicom said it would pay $20 million to pick up struggling health IT consultant Daou Systems. Story

> A new study released by the Center for Policy Initiatives concludes that some employees at Children's Hospital of San Diego are unable to afford employer subsidized insurance. …

The New York Times continues its sensational investigation of Medicaid fraud in New York. This morning, the newspaper looks at how regulatory oversight of the program has changed over the years, detailing how what was once one of the most tightly controlled government programs in the country became one of the most fraud-ridden in history. The paper reports that since the 1980s, the state has reduced the number of staff working on regulatory enforcement by more than half. …

A New York Times investigation has found that Medicaid fraud in New York State may total in the billions. A front page story in Monday's issue of the paper details a series of scams targeting the $44.5 billion program, including one in which a dentist claimed to have seen 997 patients in a single business day. Although details are not yet official, the numbers involved appear to suggest that the fraud may be the largest uncovered in a government program.

The case is …

The attorney general of the state of Texas filed a lawsuit against Merck and company, charging the drug maker with misleading consumers about the safety of the painkiller Vioxx. The suit seeks at least $250 million in damages from Merck, alleging the pharmaceutical company violated Texas Medicaid fraud rules by not informing patients and their doctors of the growing body of evidence linking the drug to serious cardiovascular problems.

While thousands of patients have filed …

> Sun Microsystems tests healthcare market with SeeBeyond deal. Story

> The Houston Chronicle's Loren Steffy writes: "Trust without disclosure? USDA has gone mad!" Story

> State legislators in Rhode Island voted overwhelmingly to support a medical marijuana bill, signaling their defiance of a recent …

Officials at Staten Island University Hospital agreed yesterday to pay back the state of New York $79 million to settle a case of Medicaid fraud. Many analysts are citing the hospital's billing problems as evidence of how difficult it can be for providers to change internal policies and procedures which may violate the rules. The fine is the second paid by the hospital in the last decade. The hospital paid a $45 million fine to the government in 1996. Story