LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former Los Angeles hospital CEO has pleaded guilty to two counts of paying for illegal patient referrals in a scheme that billed government programs for unnecessary care given to homeless people.
Dr. Rudra Sabaratnam, who previously ran City of Angels Medical Center, entered his pleas Friday. Each count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
He also agreed to pay more than $4.1 million in restitution to Read the rest of this entry »

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former hospital executive admitted Friday he paid a man to recruit homeless people for unnecessary medical treatment in a scheme to bilk government health programs out of millions of dollars.
Dr. Rudra Sabaratnam, who ran City of Angels Medical Center, faces up to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to paying a recruiter nearly $500,000 to find Skid Row homeless people with Medi-Cal or Medicare cards and Read the rest of this entry »

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The federal government has latched on to an idea to help stem Medicare fraud and waste, an idea that’s being used in Florida to help prevent Medicaid fraud.
The question is what good it will do.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is requiring durable medical equipment companies to post a $50,000 surety bond to help the government’s ongoing effort to fight Medicare fraud.
The durable medical equipment industry involves Read the rest of this entry »

and Lexapro for unapproved uses in children and teenagers.
In a civil complaint filed by the United States attorney’s office in Boston, federal prosecutors alleged that former top executives at Forest concealed for several years a clinical study that showed that the drugs were not effective in children and might even pose risks to them, including causing some to become
.
From 2001 to 2004, Forest heavily promoted results from another Read the rest of this entry »

LOS ANGELES—The owner of a medical equipment company has pleaded guilty in Los Angeles to defrauding Medicare by using a patient’s identification number without the person’s knowledge.
Melkon Gabriyelyan, the owner of TA Medical Supply, pleaded guilty Thursday to aggravated identity theft and health care fraud.
The U.S. district attorney’s office says Gabriyelyan stole the identity of a Medicare beneficiary to submit false claims for orthotic Read the rest of this entry »

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former Los Angeles hospital CEO has pleaded guilty to two counts of paying for illegal patient referrals in a scheme that billed government programs for unnecessary care given to homeless people.
Dr. Rudra Sabaratnam, who previously ran City of Angels Medical Center, entered his pleas Friday. Each count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
He also agreed to pay more than $4.1 million in restitution to Read the rest of this entry »

“Even in good fiscal times, abuse of taxpayer dollars is
unacceptable. But now, when every dime counts, we have to crack
down even harder on anyone who tries to manipulate the system and
scam tax dollars,” DiNapoli said.
The state Department of Insurance and the Department of Civil
Service joined in the investigation.
“If nonparticipating providers are allowed to waive
out-of-pocket costs and charge higher fees than those who play by
the rules, Read the rest of this entry »

In a massive settlement involving the treatment of
thousands of patients from the New York City area,
University Hospital has agreed to fork over nearly $89 million to the federal and state governments to clear up allegations it defrauded health care programs.
The settlement, believed to be the biggest for one hospital, came in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Brooklyn by the federal government claiming that the hospital ripped off the Medicare, Read the rest of this entry »

CATSKILL — In a move that may have surprised some in county political circles, freshman Legislator Sean Frey was elected by the Democratic Party to serve as the minority leader in the Greene County Legislature.
In his first term as a legislator, Frey will replace long-time Democratic Legislator Larry Gardner (D-Hunter). Leadership terms are officially for three years, but the Democrats have opted to elect a new leader annually.
“I Read the rest of this entry »

By Andrew M. Harris
Feb. 25 (Bloomberg) — P.
, a former Bear
Stearns Cos. managing director, pleaded guilty to a fraud charge
for his role in helping two men advance a plot to win a Chicago-
area hospital construction contract.
Hurtgen, 46, of Glencoe, Illinois, entered his plea to
aiding and abetting wire fraud today before U.S. District Judge
in federal court in Chicago. A trial had been
scheduled to start March 9. Prosecutors agreed to Read the rest of this entry »