- Former CFO heads to prison on MU fraud (healthcareitnews.com)
Attested to meaningful use even as the hospital continued to use paper records.….. chief financial officer…sentenced to federal prison after admitting to meaningful use fraud,…sentenced…to 23 months in prison…..false statement….was a meaningful user of electronic health records, when the hospital did not meet the requirements of the federal EHR Incentive Programs.
- FDA takes action to protect consumers from potentially dangerous counterfeit medicines and devices sold online (fda.gov)
...... in partnership with international regulatory and law enforcement agencies, took action this week against more than 1,050 websites that illegally sell potentially dangerous, unapproved prescription medicines and medical devices to consumers. These actions include the issuance of regulatory warnings to the operators of offending websites and seizure of illegal medicines and medical devices worldwide.
- Medical identity theft hits all-time high (healthcareitnews.com)
'We do see healthcare organizations and health plans making moves'. The lion's share of medical identity theft victims can expect to pay upwards of $13,500 to resolve the crime. What's more, about 50 percent of consumers say they would find another healthcare provider if they were concerned about the security of their medical records.
- D.C. wants synthetic drug suppliers to get more than just ‘a slap on the wrist’ (washingtonpost.com)
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser vowed Monday to crack down hard on suppliers of synthetic drugs after a spike in overdoses sent dozens to area hospitals in the past month. Bowser plans to introduce emergency legislation this week that would give the D.C. police chief authority to shut down any business found selling the drugs for a period of 96 hours while police investigate.
- Mallinckrodt’s Questcor Said Facing States’ Antitrust Probe (bloomberg.com)
Mallinckrodt Plc’s Questcor Pharmaceuticals Inc. faces a multistate antitrust investigation, according to a Texas attorney general’s office letter revealing that state’s participation in the probe…. Medicaid fraud unit of the Texas attorney general’s office asked for information for an investigation into potentially inflated prices of drugs,….
- National Medicare Fraud Takedown Results in Charges Against 243 Individuals for Approximately $712 Million in False Billing (justice.gov)
..... nationwide sweep led by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force in 17 districts, resulting in charges against 243 individuals, including 46 doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in Medicare fraud schemes involving approximately $712 million in false billings....More than 44 of the defendants arrested are charged with fraud related to the Medicare prescription drug benefit program known as Part D,...
- Why buying drugs online is safer than buying them on the street (washingtonpost.com)
"There's no way Silk Road could be reasonably expected to reduce violence," Federal District Court Judge Katherine Forrest said at the recent sentencing hearing for Ross Ulbricht, the convicted founder of the Silk Road online drug market. But if people are buying online, there's no turf to fight over -- "with Silk Road functioning to considerable degree at the wholesale/broker market level, its virtual location should reduce violence, intimidation and territorialism,"
- Merck to pay $5.9 million for misleading marketing of pink eye drug: U.S (reuters.com)
Merck & Co Inc has agreed to pay $5.9 million to resolve claims that a former unit fraudulently promoted a drug used to treat pink eye for unapproved purposes, U.S. authorities announced on Wednesday……promoted its drug AzaSite to healthcare providers for uses the Food and Drug Administration had not approved as safe and effective.
- Does the DEA Need a Warrant to Get PDMP Database Information? (pharmacytimes.com)
Can the US Drug Enforcement Administration use an "administrative subpoena" to obtain information from a database of transactions maintained by a state government of prescriptions of controlled substances, or is the expectation of privacy of such information so significant that the DEA’s motives for wanting such information need to be more thoroughly vetted before being able to access the data?
- Pharmacist Resolves Hostage, Robbery Situation (pharmacytimes.com)
A pharmacist is being praised for coming to the rescue in a hostage and robbery situation. The hostages were kept in the back room of the store until pharmacist Donna Weatherford was able to convince Trail (the burglar) to let the other hostages go, while she remained behind to gather the requested drugs. Weatherford seized the moment to pick up the burglar’s gun and run outside, where police were waiting.....