412 Charged In DOJ’s Largest-Ever Health Care Fraud Takedown
“Too many trusted medical professionals like doctors, nurses and pharmacists have chosen to violate their oaths and put greed ahead of their patients,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Many of the crimes were related to the opioid epidemic sweeping the country.
The New York Times:
U.S. Charges 412, Including Doctors, In $1.3 Billion Health Fraud
Hundreds of people nationwide, including dozens of doctors, have been charged in health care fraud prosecutions, accused of collectively defrauding the government of $1.3 billion, the Justice Department said on Thursday. (Ruiz, 7/13)
Reuters:
Doctors, Nurses Among Hundreds Charged With Defrauding U.S. Health Programs
A total of 412 people, including almost 115 doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, have been charged in the sweeping enforcement action, the biggest ever by the multi-agency Medicare Strike Force, the Justice Department said in a statement. More than 120 people were accused of illegally prescribing and distributing opioids and other dangerous narcotics, charges that come as about 91 Americans die daily from opioid-related overdoses. (Simpson, 7/13)
Los Angeles Times:
U.S. Charges More Than 400 People In Health Fraud Schemes And Opioid Scams Worth $1.3 Billion
A nationwide law enforcement push aimed at the opioid crisis netted more than 400 arrests nationwide, top federal officials announced Thursday. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions said the record number of arrests, which included more than 120 people allegedly involved in prescribing opioids, are a preview of a more aggressive approach to combating the nation’s spiraling epidemic of drug addiction. (Tanfani, 6/13)
Orange County Register:
Hundreds Ensnared In Justice Department Health-Care Fraud Crackdown On $1.3 Billion In False Billings
In California, 17 people were charged with scheming to defraud Medicare of $147 million; and two of them were indicted for alleged involvement in a $41.5 million scheme targeting Medicare and a private insurer, the DOJ said. The scheme involved submitting fraudulent claims – and receiving payments for prescription drugs – that were never filled by pharmacies or given to patients. (Sforza and Saavedra, 6/13)
Los Angeles Times:
The U.S. Should Rethink Its Entire Approach To Painkillers And The People Addicted To Them, Panel Urges
In a comprehensive report on what must be done to staunch the toll of opiates in the United States, a panel of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine makes clear that steps needed to prevent the creation of future opiate addicts will drive some people who are now dependent on these medications toward street drugs such as fentanyl and heroin... Even as lawmakers in Washington debate a healthcare bill expected to reduce access to addiction treatment, the expert panel called on states and the federal government to provide “universal access” to such treatment in hospitals, community-based programs, jails and prisons. (Healy, 7/13)