News From Around the Web
> The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced the launch of its fingerprint-based background check screening process for "high-risk" providers participating in federal healthcare programs. Announcement
> Tucson's Carondelet Health Network agreed to pay a $35 million to resolve allegations of billing state and federal healthcare programs for inpatient rehabilitation services that didn't qualify for payment, according to The Arizona Republic. Article
> California's Drug Medi-Cal program may have paid $93.7 million in fraudulent claims, many of which were for dead people, Reuters reported. A state audit also exposed a "woefully inadequate" drug treatment provider certification process. Article
Health Finance News
> As hospital leaders look to reduce costs without impacting quality of care, experts advise considering a largely untapped area--energy efficiency. Article
> Hospitals, doctors and front-line workers should engage patients in conversations about cost and quality care matters to help meet patients' demands for more control over their own healthcare, panelists agreed during an Institute for Healthcare Improvement discussion Thursday afternoon. Article
And finally…Identity thieves prey on lottery fantasies... Article