> Ten people have been charged with fraud as part of a scheme that billed Medicare $15 million for physical therapy services that were never provided, three of whom were arrested Friday. The scheme was led by two licensed therapists--Joseff Sales and Daniel Boyena--who owned and operated three clinics in Los Angeles and Orange County. Both men have pleaded guilty, but several others connected are accused of using beneficiary information to submit claims to Medicare. Announcement
> A couple who owned and operated a durable medical equipment company in Long Beach, California were sentenced for a scheme that fraudulently billed $1.5 million to Medicare. Amalya Cherniavsky and her husband, Vladislav Tcherniavsky, were ordered to pay more than $614,000 in restitution, and Tcherniavsky was sentenced to 51 months in prison. Announcement
> The owner of a Texas ambulance company was sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $500,000 in restitution for submitting more than $1 million in fraudulent transportation claims to Medicare and Texas Medicaid. Announcement
Health Payer News
> Health insurers could be facing more pressure to cover expensive genetic tests after Independence Blue Cross announced it would cover a complex type of genetic testing for some cancer patients. Now, one nonprofit organization has recommended changing national guidelines so that tests that assess five to 50 genes would be covered by all health plans. Article
> Google could be looking to take over certain duties for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, according to Biogen Vice President Adam Koppel. The tech giant is using its vast data pool to delve deeper into the healthcare industry, while also looking to gain access to electronic health records to improve patient outcomes. Article
And finally… This seems like a lot of work to save 12 bucks. Article