FL hospice, nursing homes, hospital passed patients back and forth to juice profits, whistleblowers charge
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 29, 2014
Two Florida nursing homes and a hospital allowed a hospice company to provide free services in exchange for patient referrals, according to recently unsealed whistleblower charges.
Omnicare off the hook in drug packaging case after Supreme Court passes
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 09, 2014
Long-term care pharmacy Omnicare will not face False Claims Act penalties for drug packaging practices that apparently ran afoul of safety regulations. The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to take up the...
Providers could be slapped with monetary penalties for slow response to document requests under OIG proposal
By
Tim Mullaney
May 13, 2014
Long-term care providers are facing an expanded list of infractions that could trigger civil monetary penalties, including slow response to document requests. The proposed regulation from the Department...
Cash-strapped feds to cut back Medicare oversight this year, OIG official says
By
Tim Mullaney
May 05, 2014
One of nursing homes’ most vigilant government watchdogs plans to dramatically curb its activities this year, a federal official has told the House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Health. The Department...
States can designate more nursing homes in urgent need of quality improvement, government says
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 22, 2014
The federal government is reactivating the special focus facility program for nursing homes with quality issues, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced. The program was minimized due...
CMS budget defines nursing home quality targets, requests an additional $50 million for surveys
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 12, 2014
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ proposed budget for fiscal year 2015 requests additional funds for survey activities and lists the agency’s targets for nursing home quality measures.
Court expresses concern over Omnicare drug packaging practices but dismisses False Claims suit
By
Tim Mullaney
Feb 26, 2014
A whistleblower exposed disturbing drug packaging practices being used by long-term care pharmacy Omnicare Inc., but the charges don’t fall under the False Claims Act, a federal appeals court recently...
Catholic long-term care provider claims free speech violations in its full appeal against Affordable...
By
Tim Mullaney
Feb 26, 2014
A Catholic long-term care provider is claiming freedom of speech and religious freedom violations in a much-anticipated legal appeal over the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate.
Nursing home hospice provider kept patients in hospice for years, overbilled for their care, prosecutors...
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 28, 2014
An Illinois-based hospice provider overbilled Medicare and Medicaid by inappropriately designating nursing home residents as hospice patients, sometimes for years, according to federal charges announced...
Review targets stolen money
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 01, 2013
Leaders in the U.S. Senate have called for a government review of how nursing homes handle facility-managed trust funds.