TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalWill Joaquin Castro Challenge John Cornyn After All?
Where is Joaquin Castro? About a month ago, news reports indicated that the U.S. congressman from San Antonio was days away from announcing he would challenge incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. But Castro hasn’t said much since then.
Abby Livingston, Washington bureau chief for The Texas Tribune, says she believes Castro will announce his decision soon, perhaps by Wednesday. She says Democrats, and Castro, in particular, may be realizing just how difficult a challenge to Cornyn could be.
“I’ve covered a lot of races … and you start planning for a Senate race a year in advance, at least,” Livingston says. “So, when all this hubbub was going on in late March, I’m looking at this, going, ‘I don’t see the evidence he’s running for Senate.'”
Livingston says Castro hasn’t taken crucial steps like meeting with Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer about his potential candidacy.
Read more: http://www.texasstandard.org/stories/will-joaquin-castro-challenge-john-cornyn-after-all/
Pharmaceutical Company Agrees to Pay $17.5 Million to Resolve Allegations of Kickbacks to Medicare
Pharmaceutical Company Agrees to Pay $17.5 Million to Resolve Allegations of Kickbacks to Medicare Patients and PhysiciansThe Justice Department announced today that US WorldMeds LLC (USWM) has agreed to pay $17.5 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729 et seq., by paying kickbacks to patients and physicians to improperly induce prescriptions of its drugs, Apokyn® and Myobloc®. USWM is a pharmaceutical manufacturer headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.
“The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that physicians’ and patients’ selection of medications is not influenced by improper financial considerations,” said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “The nation’s health care programs and taxpayers deserve health care companies that play by the rules, including the Anti-Kickback Statute.”
“Pharmaceutical companies and other healthcare providers that pay kickbacks to patients and physicians to improperly induce drug prescriptions drive up the costs of health care and divert critical resources from the Medicare program,” said U.S. Attorney John H. Durham for the District of Connecticut. “This case originated with the filing of whistleblower lawsuits currently pending in the District of Connecticut, and the whistleblowers will be handsomely rewarded for exposing this scheme. We encourage all individuals who are aware of fraud against the government to come forward. The Connecticut U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to pursue companies and providers that defraud federal health care programs.”
When a Medicare beneficiary obtains a prescription drug covered by Medicare Part D, the beneficiary may be required to make a partial payment, which may take the form of a copayment, coinsurance, or a deductible (collectively “copays”). Congress included copay requirements in the Medicare program, in part, to encourage market forces to serve as a check on health care costs, including the prices that pharmaceutical manufacturers can demand for their drugs. Under the Anti-Kickback Statute, a pharmaceutical company is prohibited from offering, directly or indirectly, any remuneration — which includes paying patients’ copay obligations — to induce Medicare patients to purchase the company’s drugs.
Read more: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ct/pr/pharmaceutical-company-agrees-pay-175-million-resolve-allegations-kickbacks-medicare
Former CEO of Hospital Chain to Pay $3.46 Million to Resolve False Billing and Kickback Allegations
Gary D. Newsome, former CEO of Health Management Associates LLC (HMA), a hospital chain that was headquartered in Naples, Florida, has agreed to pay the United States $3.46 million to settle allegations that he caused HMA to knowingly submit false claims to government health care programs by admitting patients who could have been treated on a less costly, outpatient basis, the Department of Justice announced. The settlement also resolves allegations that Newsome caused HMA to pay remuneration to Emergency Department (ED) physicians in return for referrals.
“Those who bill federal health care programs for unnecessary hospital stays will be held accountable for wasting federal dollars,” said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt for the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “Patients deserve the unfettered, independent judgment of their health care professionals. We will pursue those who cause hospitals to offer financial incentives to physicians in return for improper patient referrals that undermine the integrity of our health care system.”
“A physician’s health care decisions should be driven by what is in the patient’s best interest, not by what helps line a provider’s pockets,” said Barbara Bowens, the Acting U.S. Attorney for South Carolina for purposes of this case. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will not tolerate false claims based on unnecessary hospital admissions, which drive up health care costs and can harm patients.”
“Providers are expected to closely follow rules and bill properly. Further, in this case, the government contended that Newsome directed illegal payments for referrals,” said Derrick L. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Taxpayer money wasted is money stolen from vital government health programs.”
Read more: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-ceo-hospital-chain-pay-346-million-resolve-false-billing-and-kickback-allegations
Owner of Florida Medical Clinic Sentenced to Prison
An owner of a Florida medical clinic was sentenced to serve 91 months in prison today for her role in a $2.5 million health care fraud scheme.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan of the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Shimon R. Richmond of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Miami Regional Office and Special Agent in Charge Brian Swain of the U.S. Secret Service’s (USSS) Miami Field Office made the announcement.
Juliette Anais Tamayo, 54, the owner of Miami-based clinic Sunshine Medical Care Group Inc. (Sunshine), was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga of the Southern District of Florida. Judge Altonaga also ordered Tamayo to pay $2.5 million in restitution. Tamayo pleaded guilty in February 2019 to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. Also, Tamayo previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks and to defraud the United States.
Tamayo was charged in a December 2018 superseding indictment with charges stemming from her involvement in a Part A home health care and Part B medical services fraud scheme in which she sold medically unnecessary home health care prescriptions to home health agency owners who in turn billed Medicare. According to her admissions made as part of her separate pleas to the health care fraud and kickback conspiracies, Tamayo solicited and accepted kickbacks from patient recruiters and from the owners of several Miami-area home health agencies in exchange for providing prescriptions for home health services to patients at Sunshine. The prescriptions, in turn, were used by the home health agencies to bill Medicare for home health services purportedly provided to Medicare beneficiaries. Tamayo paid a portion of the kickbacks she received from the home health agencies to physicians who worked at Sunshine to induce them to write the fraudulent prescriptions. In addition, Sunshine billed Medicare directly for medical services purportedly provided at the clinic that were not necessary and/or were not provided.
Read more: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/owner-florida-medical-clinic-sentenced-prison
Medical equipment company owner gets 78 months in federal prison for $3.1M Medicaid fraud
McALLEN — A federal judge sentenced a McAllen woman Tuesday to more than six years in prison for her role in a scheme to defraud Medicaid, according to a news release.
U.S. District Judge Randy Crane sentenced Anna Ramirez-Ambriz to a 78-month prison term during a sentencing hearing Tuesday, the release stated.
The 57-year-old woman, who owned Compassionate Medical Supply in Edinburg, pleaded true to one count of healthcare fraud on March 31, 2017, court records show, in exchange for the dismissal of two document fraud charges.
In the January 2017 indictment filed against her, government prosecutors alleged Ramirez-Ambriz defrauded the state’s Medicaid program of millions over the course of more than six years by submitting false claims to Texas Medicaid, court records show.
Read more: https://www.themonitor.com/2019/04/30/medical-equipment-company-owner-gets-78-months-federal-prison/
DOJ Press Release:
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/operator-mcallen-area-dme-company-sentenced-health-care-fraud
UIL to require physicals for marching bands starting Aug. 1
Beginning Aug. 1, University Interscholastic League marching band students will need to pass a physical entering their first and third years of high school to participate.
The new rule also applies to any seventh- or eighth-grade student participating in marching band.
Aaron Turner, band director at Pine Tree High School, said despite some resistance surrounding the new rule, he believes it’s a positive change that can help students.
“This is just another way for us to look at and see if our students are healthy and are they healthy enough to be on the marching fields,” he said. “The physicals can open up ways to help our students in ways we didn’t know before.”
Read more: https://www.news-journal.com/news/local/uil-to-require-physicals-for-marching-bands-starting-aug/article_d351e224-66a0-11e9-b5ea-4b75140b3f03.html
Interim named after Coastal Bend College president placed on administrative leave
BEEVILLE -- Board trustees voted late Thursday to put Coastal Bend College's president on paid administrative leave following about four hours behind closed doors.
Trustees also voted to "issue a letter of intent to discharge the college president," according to a statement attributed to board chair Carroll W. Lohse, sent via email to the Caller-Times by school spokesman Bernard Saenz.
Beatriz Espinoza has been president of Coastal Bend College for nearly seven years, according to the school's website.
The special-called meeting Thursday had only one item on its agenda, to be held in executive session, that included in its description the "evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a public officer or employee, including the College President."
Read more: https://www.caller.com/story/news/local/2019/04/25/board-trustees-voted-late-thursday-put-coastal-bend-colleges-president-paid-administrative-leave-fol/3579235002/
Whistleblower fired after complaining about Dallas tribal center leader's 'Kick-a-Hoe' joke
Native American community members are calling for two leaders of the Urban Inter-Tribal Center of Texas to be fired after they were accused of using racial slurs during a staff meeting this month.
The Intertribal Community Council of Texas spoke out against the center — which offers medical and dental care, job training and other services to Native American people — after a staff member reported that the center’s interim CEO and clinical director made the remarks during a leadership meeting.
In a letter to the center's human resources director, Veronica Arredondo accused interim CEO Kendria Taylor of responding to community concerns about the center by saying she is part of the “Kick-a-Hoe” tribe.
Clinical director Deborah Breshears retorted that she was a member of the “Slap-a-Hoe” tribe, and the two laughed, Arredondo said.
Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas/2019/04/30/whistleblower-fired-after-complaining-leaders-kick-hoe-joke-dallas-tribal-center
Whitmer signs two bills delaying new teacher standards
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law on Tuesday two bills that will delay changes to the way the state evaluates its educators, narrowly beating the deadline before which they would have taken effect.
Senate Bills 122 and 202, introduced by state Sen. Ken Horn (R-Frankenmuth), will prevent a planned increase in the share of formal evaluations based on student data from standardized testing — the former regarding those for teachers and the latter those for administrators.
“As I continue to visit schools across the state, nearly every educator says the same thing: they are forced to spend more time on testing than actually teaching their students how to learn,” Whitmer said in a statement. “We know that test scores are only one piece of the puzzle and not the whole story. I’ve put forth a real solution in the budget to boost student performance, and I look forward to working with the legislature to get it done.”*
The original plan was enacted under Republican former Gov. Rick Snyder and would have taken effect for the 2018-19 school year if the current legislation was not adopted by early May.
Read more: https://www.michiganadvance.com/blog/whitmer-signs-two-bills-delaying-new-teacher-standards/
Grand Rapids police under fire from civil rights groups for Latino arrests
Civil and immigrants’ rights groups in Michigan want the state to put the Grand Rapids Police Department under a microscope.
On Tuesday, the Michigan chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) filed formal complaints with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) over what they allege is a pattern of “racially discriminatory” treatment towards citizens of color, and particularly those of Latino heritage.
One complaint was filed on behalf of Jilmar Ramos-Gomez, an American citizen and Marine veteran who suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The ACLU and MIRC say that documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) show that GRPD officials were aware of the fact that Ramos-Gomez was a U.S. citizen when they requested that federal officials check his immigration status due to a concern of “terrorism.”
Ramos-Gomez was arrested in November 2018 after he gained illegal access to the helipad of a Grand Rapids hospital and started a small fire.
Read more: https://www.michiganadvance.com/2019/04/30/grand-rapids-police-under-fire-from-civil-rights-groups-for-latino-arrests/
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
Home country: United States
Current location: Bryan, Texas
Member since: Sun Aug 14, 2011, 03:57 AM
Number of posts: 112,226
