Health Care
Female inmates sterilized in California prisons without approval
“Doctors under contract with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation sterilized nearly 150 female inmates from 2006 to 2010 without required state approvals, The Center for Investigative Reporting has found.”
Read MoreTop Medicare Prescribers Rake In Speaking Fees From Drugmakers
Data obtained and analyzed by ProPublica suggest another factor in the drug Bystolic’s rapid success: Many of the drug’s top prescribers have financial ties to Forest Laboratories, its maker.
Read MoreComputer Industry, Unions Big Donors to Immigration Bill Supporters
The 27 senators who voted against an immigration overhaul bill amendment, which strengthens border security but is also a step towards passing the overall immigration package, on average received very little money from the computer industry, human rights groups and labor unions, but did receive heavy support from donors in the agribusiness industry, according to…
Read MoreDelays Hamper State’s Doctor Discipline Process
In Connecticut, it can take two years or longer for complaints against physicians to result in license suspensions, revocations and other disciplinary actions by the state Medical Examining Board, working with the DPH. According to a Connecticut Health I-Team report, a review of disciplinary decisions in the past 18 months shows that the medical board…
Read MoreNew program to curb hospital return visits may burden smaller ones in poorer areas
“Eight California hospitals — including four in the Los Angeles area — are among the institutions paying the maximum fine under a new Medicare program designed to reduce high patient readmission rates. Under the 2010 federal Affordable Care Act, the federal government has started fining hospitals with high readmissions rates as much as 1 percent of the…
Read MoreMedicare Drug Program Fails to Monitor Prescribers, Putting Seniors and Disabled at Risk
“In lawsuits and disciplinary records, state and federal authorities cite a number of reasons that doctors prescribe improperly. Some run mills where patients get prescriptions if they pay cash for a visit. Others have relationships with drug companies that influence what they prescribe. Regulators say some doctors choose inappropriate medications under pressure from families or…
Read MoreHigh-risk health providers stay in business thanks to state insurance
“Maple Grove surgeon Joseph Pietrafitta has been sued at least six times for malpractice, leading to $1.2 million in settlements for former patients. The Minnesota Board of Medical Practice also has cited some of the lawsuits in ordering Pietrafitta to take corrective action for “inappropriate” conduct. In 2010, no conventional insurance carrier would give him…
Read MoreFailure to treat Arizona inmate might have led to death
The contract company hired to provide medical care to Arizona prisoners failed to treat an inmate and that may have led to his death, according to a report from KPNX-(NBC) Phoenix. The medical provider was already under fire and this is the latest example of a systemic problem in Arizona prisons. The investigation led to…
Read MoreQuestionable investigations, little oversight in state hospital deaths
A Statesman analysis of deaths at state mental health hospitals reveals the deaths are rarely investigated outside the hospital, doctors are regularly cleared of improper care and deaths in state prisons get more scrutiny than those in state hospitals. Read the full investigation here.
Read MoreBilling puts psychiatrist in two places at once; Minnesota alleges false billing
“A highly paid psychiatrist working in state mental health hospitals engaged in a pattern of false billing claims while collecting more than $430,000 in payments beyond his base salary over three years, according to investigative documents obtained by the Star Tribune.” Read the Star Tribune’s full investigation here.
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