Recently nine pharmacists from across the country were charged for their part in a $12.1M health care fraud scheme. The pharmacists allegedly took money for prescription medications that were neither purchased nor dispensed. The indictments further allege that the defendants billed Medicare and Medicaid for medications that were often medically unnecessary and for some medications that were purportedly dispensed to
Tag: analytics
Bribery and corruption continue to plague governments and organizations around the world. Brazil’s Operation Car Wash, the 1MDB scandal in Malaysia, the FIFA bribery case and many others continue to make headlines. The prevalence of widespread, coordinated corruption and bribery is alarming and seems to continue to grow, despite ongoing sanctions and fines meant to deter these
If a cinderblock falls from the 4th floor of a building and crushes a construction worker’s foot, it’s terrible. If it lands on his head, it’s truly tragic. But the difference is sheer luck. Every employee deserves to return home safely from work. Unfortunately, accidents happen, which is why employers must carry mandatory workers’ compensation
Getting people with mental health conditions the help they need is a top priority for many Californians, according to a recent California Health Care Foundation report. In 2004, Golden State voters approved the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA). Enacted into law in January 2005, MHSA has generated approximately $15 billion
You may not have heard the term "whole person education" before but it recognizes the critical intersection of schools and a young person's behavioral health. When I was running youth behavioral health treatment programs, schools were a major part of raising awareness and advocating for help for many kids. I
If you are a government leader, or one of the millions of people employed in the public sector globally, these last 100 days have probably been the most challenging of your lifetime. It is also an unprecedented opportunity to show how dedicated public servants and their agencies can best serve
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Value-Based Payments (VBP), health care’s new magic, “silver bullet” that will solve all our fraud problems. Last month, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a press release entitled, “HHS Proposes Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute Reforms to Support Value-Based and
As we honor Mental Health Month, there are many calls to reduce suffering. Seems reasonable, right? It’s even in California’s Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), where public systems are called to “reduce subjective suffering.” And as we broadly focus more on outcomes in health, measuring suffering (and hopefully its reduction)
I was recently honored to share the stage with government and medical leaders to discuss ways to impact the nation’s opioid epidemic. Hosted by The Washington Post, this event included often spirited conversations on ways to solve this national crisis. As the medical director for SAS US Government, I have
January serves as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month, culminating in the annual observation of National Freedom Day on February 1. For many, this month presents an opportunity to refocus efforts to slow, and ultimately stop, human trafficking around the globe, but especially here in the United States. The