News From Around the Web
> Anesthesia Business Consultants (ABC), the nation's largest anesthesia and pain management billing company, is facing a federal investigation into healthcare fraud allegations following a raid on the company's business in Jackson, Michigan, according to mlive.com. ABC representatives indicated the company is working with authorities to collect requested information, but wouldn't offer any more information regarding the allegation or the nature of the fraud investigation. Article
> The owner of a Brooklyn medical supply company was sentenced to serve 7-21 years in prison and pay a $1.7 million fine for improperly billing Medicaid for more than 3,000 units of specialized pediatric nutritional formula. Between January 2010 and September 2012, Advanced Medical Supply, owned by Humphrey Udeh, dispensed over-the-counter formula, but billed Medicaid for expensive, specialized formula by using false prescriptions and letters of medical necessity. Announcement
> The owners of a chain of mental health centers throughout Pennsylvania and North Carolina are facing a civil suit from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The owners, Melchor Martinez and his wife, Melissa Chlebowski, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, are charged with billing Medicaid for 15-minute psychiatrist visits that lasted two-three minutes and were performed by unlicensed practitioners. Additionally, Martinez was convicted of Medicare fraud in 2000 and was excluded from recieving federal healthcare payments. Announcement
Health Payer News
> On Tuesday, CMS announced that it will test a program that alters the way Medicare pays for hospice treatment, allowing patients to receive both curative and palliative treatment. The program will be tested at more than 140 hospices for the next five years to see if the new approach will reduce costs while improving care options for patients. Article
Health IT News
> As many as 4.5 million patient records were compromised following a hack of UCLA Health's computer network, releasing names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers, medical records numbers, and Medicare of health ID numbers. UCLA determined hackers accessed the system on May 5, following an FBI-aided investigation dating back to October. Hospital representatives believed it came from a "highly sophisticated group" of offshore hackers. Article
And finally … Perhaps humans and bears aren't all that different. Article