'Largest medical fraud takedown in American history': More than 400 doctors, nurses and pharmacists are arrested for heathcare and opioid scams worth $1.3bn in false billing

[mystery-ak]

'Largest medical fraud takedown in American history': More than 400 doctors, nurses and pharmacists are arrested for heathcare and opioid scams worth $1.3bn in false billing

    US attorneys announce they will prosecute over 400 in medical fraud case
    Attorney General Jeff Sessions calls the action the 'largest medical fraud takedown in American history'
    More than 52,000 Americans died of overdoses in 2015
    Nearly 300 health care providers are being suspended or banned from participating in federal health care programs

By Associated Press and Daniel Roth For Dailymail.com

Published: 16:10 EDT, 13 July 2017 | Updated: 16:55 EDT, 13 July 2017

 

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Thursday that federal prosecutors have charged more than 400 people in taking part in medical fraud and opioid scams that totaled $1.3 billion in fraudulent billing.

Sessions said that 412 individuals will be prosecuted by his office in what he called the 'largest health care fraud takedown operation in American history' during a press conference in Washington.

Sessions noted that the case involves doctors, nurses and pharmacists that 'have chosen to violate their oaths and put greed ahead of their patients.'

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4694236/US-attorneys-412-health-fraud-case.html

[Mom MD]

While this happens and these creeps need to go down hard, the government has a big part in the current opioid problem.  They started scoring hospitals on pain control, making pain the 5th vital sign.  Pain became what the patient said it was, and even if they had no reason to have severe pain and were laughing and talking on their phone, if they said their pain was 10/10 the nurse better give the IV narcotics or the hospital would get dinged by the feds.  So I really don't want to hear how the government is going to solve this problem they had a large hand in creating.  Pain control is no longer a scored measure, but too late.

[goodwithagun]

While this happens and these creeps need to go down hard, the government has a big part in the current opioid problem.  They started scoring hospitals on pain control, making pain the 5th vital sign.  Pain became what the patient said it was, and even if they had no reason to have severe pain and were laughing and talking on their phone, if they said their pain was 10/10 the nurse better give the IV narcotics or the hospital would get dinged by the feds.  So I really don't want to hear how the government is going to solve this problem they had a large hand in creating.  Pain control is no longer a scored measure, but too late.

 

And may I add, we live in a society that applauds "curvy" figures and criticizes "fat shamers." There are probably many docs that would love to tell patients to drop 50 pounds and their knees won't hurt anymore. But they can't.

[Mom MD]

And may I add, we live in a society that applauds "curvy" figures and criticizes "fat shamers." There are probably many docs that would love to tell patients to drop 50 pounds and their knees won't hurt anymore. But they can't.

I have no problem telling people they need to lose weight.

[goodwithagun]

Good for you! In my Ohio Valley town obesity is rampant. The few times I'm at the doc or ER, a majority of the people there are due to obesity related issues. Nothing like waiting behind an obese type 2 diabetic that got the shakes BC she ate birthday cake and drank punch at a birthday party.