An orthopedic surgeon and two chiropractors were sentenced to federal prison for cheating insurance companies out of $3 million by mislabeling treatments for back pain. The sentences are the latest in Georgia to result from a back pain treatment known as Vertebral Axial Decompression. The U.S. Attorney's Office said Dr. Howard Berkowitz, 58, of Atlanta was sentenced to 18 months, and the chiropractors, 67-year-old Arthur Hargraves of Douglasville, GA, and 52-year-old Daniel Puffenberger of Kissimmee, FL, each got three years and five months.
Seizing on the momentum of the presidential election and the promise of change, a grassroots "conversation" about healthcare reform under the Obama administration began with town hall meetings around the nation. The town hall program, held in Washington, DC, and at a dozen locations around the country, was designed to focus on top priorities for reform.
Over the objection of nurses, the University of California Regents have unanimously approved a plan to transfer most of UC Irvine Medical Center's pediatric unit to nearby Children's Hospital of Orange County. Although nurses said pediatric services could suffer and tax already overstretched resources, both UC Irvine and Children's Hospital officials touted the "strategic affiliation" as a partnership that would deliver better services to patients.
A Pennsylvania Senate committee is urging the state insurance commissioner to block a proposed merger of the state's two largest health insurers. The Republican-controlled Senate Banking and Insurance Committee voted 10-4 to recommend that Insurance Commissioner Joel Ario reject the proposed consolidation of Independence Blue Cross and Highmark Inc. Although state law gives lawmakers the authority to evaluate and comment on the merger, the committee's recommendation is not binding.
The pro-consumer Families USA have released a report that says 8.3% of Tennessee's children lack health insurance coverage, based on U.S. Census data from 2005-07. Nine-tenths of them come from families in which at least one parent works, and three-fifths are in low-income families.
Officials have approved a merger between Indianapolis-based Clarian Health and the medical group that owns Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, IN, and Blackford Community Hospital in Hartford City, IN. Officials have said both hospitals will keep their names and their current services, with Ball Memorial remaining a full-service acute care hospital. The merger will take effect Jan. 1.