Some doctors are warning that gastric bypass surgery, an extreme measure to help people lose weight, may trigger a genetic disorder that leads to genetic mutations, causing uncontrolled weight loss and death. A report in USA Today on Tuesday highlights the case of a woman, Hilary Lane, who had gastric bypass surgery in 2005,...

Often, whistleblowers who wish to report healthcare fraud are afraid to go forward for fear they might violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), a law created to protect the privacy of patient records and information. However there are specific provisions allowing for such disclosures to the government.The Health Insurance Portability and...

The annual estimate of annual health care fraud in the U.S. is $80 billion and some think it is twice that amount. The Inspector General's Office at Health and Human Services reports that the types of fraud are becoming more diverse. Some bill Medicare for physical therapy, electronic stimulation treatment, chiropractic services, laser...

GE Healthcare, a global provider of medical technologies and pharmaceuticals has agreed to pay $30 million to settle a False Claims Act whistleblower case alleging the company provided false information in connection with its distribution of the radiopharmaceutical agent Myoview to the federal Medicare program. The drug is used by health care providers in...

Dr. Charles Briggs filed a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit in Washington D.C. against Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington in connection with its failure to rectify serious medical violations committed against its patients. Dr. Briggs a veteran physician, returned from retirement to take a job working with Catholic Charities' two clinics. According to the...

Wendell Potter, former high-profile public relations employee of insurance mammoth CIGNA is revealing his insider revelations in his new novel "Deadly Spin". After acting as CIGNA's spokesperson during the liver transplant case of 17-year-old Nataline Sarkisyan, realized then his hatred for the insurance industry's practices. CIGNA refused to pay for Nataline's liver transplant which...

A federal judge in Virginia ruled that a key healthcare reform provision that forces people to buy health insurance is unconstitutional. Judge Henry Hudson, whom George W. Bush appointed, sided with the Virginia Attorney general when he ruled that the imposition of an individual mandate to purchase private insurance exceeded the bounds of the...

The Most Common Types of Healthcare Fraud and Abuse are: 1.Billing for treatments never performed: Healthcare providers will often bill for services that were never provided by either using a real patient's healthcare information or through medical identity theft to create or embellish claims. 2. Upcoding: This is a type of healthcare fraud and abuse...

This month the government unveiled a scheme by two companies Omnicare and IVAX, which was uncovered when whistleblowers came forward to file lawsuits.The settlements WHICH RESULTED IN OVER $112 million returned to the givernment are based on five separate whistle blower lawsuits filed by private individuals and consolidated in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts...