Health Care
Trauma transfers risky procedure at Central Mississippi Medical Center
A for-profit hospital in south Jackson repeatedly transferred emergency patients it was paid by the state to treat, possibly violating state hospital regulations and federal law, a Clarion-Ledger investigation found. The Clarion-Ledger obtained hospital transfer logs, patient charts and other documents leaked by whistle-blowers that depict a pattern of decisions at Central Mississippi Medical Center…
Read MoreBill seeks new restrictions on sterilizations in Calif. prisons
A California state senator introduced legislation to limit sterilization surgeries in state prisons, jails and detention centers after the Center for Investigative Reporting found that 132 women received tubal ligations in violation of prison rules. Prison medical staff had been coercing and targeting women “deemed likely to return to prison in the future,” CIR reported.…
Read MoreSouth Carolina among worst in nation on newborn tests
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, South Carolina “ranks among the worst in the nation as to how quickly hospitals send babies’ blood samples to state labs for testing of rare but deadly genetic disorders.” “Federally backed guidelines recommend blood samples take no more than three days to arrive at labs for testing, as children…
Read MoreAustralian hospitals’ waiting list deaths
More than 840 people – 16 a week – died waiting for surgery in Victoria in the past year. The revelation comes as the length of time patients spend on elective surgery waiting lists continues to grow
Read MoreExtra Extra Monday: Secret settlements, data breaches and university lobbyists
Mizzou did not pursue alleged assault | ESPNThe University of Missouri did not investigate or tell law enforcement officials about an alleged rape, possibly by one or more members of its football team, despite administrators finding out about the alleged 2010 incident more than a year ago, an “Outside the Lines” investigation has found. The…
Read MoreDisciplined doctor behind controversial sports supplement study
The latest installment in USA TODAY’s ongoing “Supplement Shell Game” investigation published today finds that the key author of a safety study of the controversial sports supplement Craze is a doctor who has been disciplined in two states for issues relating to fraudulent billing practices and other misrepresentations. Now the editor of the peer reviewed…
Read MorePatients’ deadly surgery wait as toll soars
“More than 840 people – 16 a week – died waiting for surgery in Victoria in the past year. The revelation comes as the length of time patients spend on elective surgery waiting lists continues to grow,” the Herald Sun in Melbourne, Australia, reports. Read their full story here.
Read MoreConsumers With Canceled Insurance Plans Shifted to New Ones Without Their Permission
“The California Department of Insurance said it is exploring whether any laws were broken when insurance companies withdrew money from consumers’ accounts for plans they didn’t select,” ProPublic reports. Read the full story here.
Read MoreHospice firms draining billions from Medicare
“But over the past decade, the number of “hospice survivors” in the United States has risen dramatically, in part because hospice companies earn more by recruiting patients who aren’t actually dying, a Washington Post investigation has found. Healthier patients are more profitable because they require fewer visits and stay enrolled longer.” Read the full story…
Read MoreHow fraud flourishes in Medicare’s drug plan
Medicare’s massive drug program has a process so convoluted and poorly managed that fraud flourishes, giving rise to elaborate schemes that quickly siphon away millions of dollars. Among the findings of an ongoing investigation by ProPublica and NPR: ProPublica identified scores of doctors whose prescribing in Medicare’s drug program bore the hallmarks of fraud…
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