The U.S. Department of Justice announced on November 10 that five former employees of Methodist Hospital, based in Memphis, Tennessee, were indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly selling the names and telephone numbers of hospital patients who were involved in automobile accidents. Roderick Harvey paid them for the information and then sold it
CMS Adds New Billing Code for Dental Surgeries
The American Dental Association (ADA) announced on November 15 that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has agreed to create a new Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code G0330 for dental surgeries performed under anesthesia in hospital operating rooms. The new code resulted from an advocacy campaign driven by the ADA, American
Artificial Intelligence Now Powers Orthodontics
Align Technology, the manufacturer of the Invisalign system of orthodontic braces, recently announced the release of an improved artificial intelligence-assisted smartphone app that can direct an Invisalign wearer when to advance to his or her next set of aligners. The company’s “Virtual Care AI-assisted Remote Monitoring Solution” helps patients take pictures of their teeth, and
Fraud Week: Pharmacy Kickbacks, Fake Medical Directorships and More
Federal and state enforcement activity involving pharmacy fraud tops the list of categories in this edition of Rivkin Rounds’ Fraud Week. We’ll list just a sampling of cases.
On October 19, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Jerry May Keepers of Kingswood, Texas was sentenced to 36 months of supervised probation for writing
Fraud Week: DOJ Targets DME Fraud
Home health-related fraud and dentists behaving badly (see this week’s earlier posts) have both been notable recent trends, but the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has been even busier lately cracking down on fraud involving durable medical equipment. Most recently, on October 25, DOJ announced that Daniel Canchola of Flower Mound, Texas pleaded guilty to
Fraud Week: Kickbacks for Home Healthcare Referrals
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on October 18 that Oklahoma-based Carter Healthcare LLC and its affiliates, plus two executives, agreed to pay a total of over $30 million to resolve two separate qui tam cases. One lawsuit claimed that Carter paid remuneration to physicians in Oklahoma and Texas to induce referrals of Medicare
Fraud Week: Medically Unnecessary Pediatric Root Canals
The U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey and New York Attorney General Letitia James both announced on October 6 that pediatric dentist Barry L. Jacobson, his management company, and 13 affiliated pediatric dentistry practices agreed to pay $753,457 to resolve allegations of False Claims Act violations. Between 2011 and 2018, Jacobson and other
Telehealth on Your TV?
Virtual primary care company HealthTap recently announced that it has partnered with Samsung to provide telehealth services through Samsung smart TVs. Users will be able to connect to the HealthTap platform and schedule a doctor visit using a built-in camera on the television.
Consumers who pay $15 per month for HealthTap’s platform will be able
HHS Extends COVID-19 PHE Again
Former NJ Doc Pleads Guilty to HIPAA Violations
On October 7, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey announced that a former physician pleaded guilty to conspiring to wrongfully disclose patients’ protected health information to a pharmaceutical sales representative. Frank Alario, who had had numerous offices in New Jersey, Manhattan and Florida, admitted to criminal HIPAA violations in connection with