scandal

Three former executives at Roger Williams Medical Center in Providence, RI, have been charged in an influence-peddling scandal involving a state senator. Prosecutors allege the officials hired former state senator John Celona as a consultant at a salary of $250,000 a year. Celona worked at the hospital while serving on a committee that consider legislation of interest to the facility. Article

The University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey (UMDNJ) said it would accept federal oversight of its finances in the wake of a billing scandal that has seriously damaged the school's reputation. Yesterday, the Department of Justice warned UMDNJ that it faces criminal prosecution for overbilling the government Medicaid program by as much as $10 million over the past five years. A DOJ spokesman said the deal is the first time a public university has ever been assigned a federal monitor.

- see this article from The New York Times

The liver transplant program at the University of California Irvine is under fire after the Los Angeles Times uncovered evidence that it turned down scores of available organs over the past two years. More than 30 patients eligible for transplants may have died as a result. According to the paper, the program's two on-call transplant surgeons also hold full time positions at the University of California San Diego. The scandal follows problems at the transplant program at nearby …

WellPoint said its profits have nearly doubled as a result of its merger last year with Anthem. The giant health plan announced stellar numbers today, with net income up 164 percent to $640 million. The insurer said its sales more than doubled, rising to $11.3 billion from $4.8 billion. It wasn't enough for Wall Street, however, which was looking for more. WellPoint shares were down 3% in morning trading.

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Responding to a series of critical articles in The New York Times outlining problems with New York's Medicaid program, Gov. George Pataki yesterday ordered a broad overhaul of state agencies responsible for monitoring the program. Pataki issued an executive order creating a new independent inspector general's office to oversee the program and brought in a formal federal prosecutor to investigate the scandal. Also rumored to be contemplating action is the reportedly highly annoyed …

The New York Times reports that officials at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) routinely double-billed the government for Medicaid services over a period dating back to the early 1990s. The billing problems, which appear to involve questionable charges totaling millions of dollars, were apparently caused when the hospital system issued bills for procedures and visits for which doctors had already charged the government.

Adam Henick, a former …

A Florida surgeon has lost his board certification after it was revealed that he sold the answers to the American Board of Surgery's written exam online. The ensuing scandal has prompted the board to change its rules and develop a new set of questions for the multiple choice test. The surgeon involved admits having copied questions and answers for the exam when he was permitted to review the test in private after failing in 2002. Story

Officials at New Jersey's University of Medicine and Dentistry (UMDNJ) said the school will adopt strict new spending rules following a scandal involving no-bid contracts and questionable political contributions. UMDNJ President John Petillo, who oversees the sprawling network of teaching hospitals and research facilities, also said executives at the institution will be required to give back their credit cards.

- see this story from the Newark Star-Ledger