Archive for March 2023
Nurse Practitioner Pleads Guilty to Fraud, Controlled Substance Act Violations
A Pennsylvania nurse practitioner who specialized in psychiatric and mental health will have to pay $450,000 in restitution and turn in her Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner’s license after pleading guilty to prescribing medications without a collaborating doctor and false billing. The investigation found that Stefanie King of Ulster, PA pleaded guilty to one felony count…
Read MoreThe Federal Government Nets $2.2B in Settlements and Judgements Under the False Claims Act, Including $1.7B in Healthcare-Related Fraud
Settlements and judgements under the False Claims Act (FCA) surpassed $2.2 billion for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2022. Of that, $1.7 billion related to matters involving the healthcare industry, including drug and medical device manufacturers, durable medical equipment, home health and managed care providers, hospitals, pharmacies, hospice organizations, and physicians. The government and…
Read MoreORC Report to Congress: HIPAA Complaints Skyrocket
Between 2017 and 2021, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) complaint violations rose 39 percent and large breaches reported increased 58 percent, according to a recent report from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to Congress. We have been writing about these complaints and settlements since 2019. OCR received 34,077 new HIPAAcomplaints alleging violations…
Read MoreFeds Charge 25 in South Florida Fraudulent Diploma Scheme: Nurses and Others Face Board of Nursing Licensure and Criminal Investigations
Some 7,600 men and women who allegedly received fraudulent nursing diplomas and transcripts from three Florida-based nursing schools are now being notified that they are under investigation and could face not only disciplinary action but also possible criminal charges. The notices are in response to a bogus diploma and transcript ring that the U.S. Attorney’s…
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