News Fround Around the Web
> A New York doctor is the first to be indicted for accepting bribes from Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services LLC (BLS) and the facts surrounding his case offer new insight into the $100 million scheme. Like the 26 other physicians who pleaded guilty, Bret Ostrager is accused of taking cash kickbacks from BLS in exchange for patient referrals. However, according to the Department of Justice, Ostrager also specifically requested tickets to the New York Mets and the New York Knicks, as well as concert tickets for Katy Perry and Justin Bieber. Announcement
> A Brooklyn physician was sentenced to two years in prison for orchestrating a $13 million healthcare scheme in which he billed Medicare for fraudulent medical services. From 2009 to 2012, Okon Umana, serving as medical director of Cropsey Medical Care PLLC, submitted claims for physician office visits, physical therapy and diagnostic tests under his provider number, even though the services were provided by an unsupervised physician's assistant. Announcement
> Three Houston residents have been arrested for orchestrating a fraud scheme that allegedly took $5.6 million from Medicare. Joy Aneke operated Jadac Unique Health Services Inc., allegedly billing Medicare for diagnostic tests that were medically unnecessary or never performed. Aneke's co-conspirator, Maureen Henshall, paid recruiters for patient referrals, while Teodoro Seminario worked at the clinic as an unlicensed physician's assistant known as "Dr. Ted." Aneke also operated a separate clinic in which she received nearly $1 million from Medicare. Announcement
Health Payer News
> CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield is facing a class-action lawsuit from two customers that allege the insurer failed to protect consumer information even though it was aware of security weaknesses that led to a cyberattack. The claimants are asking for $5 million in damages after the attack compromised information of 1.1 million customers. Article
Health IT News
> A new report from Tractica predicts that even though the use of biometrics is still scarce within healthcare, the industry is expected to jump from $250 million in 2015 to $3.5 billion in 2024. Part of that growth will involve tools that authenticate care providers during home visits in order to reduce fraud, and improved security of patient health information. Article
And finally… Say hello to my (bigger) friend! Article