Category Archives: Healthcare

The Sentinel: FBI Probing Prime Health Care For Alleged Bill “Upcoding”

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For the second time in the last three months, Dr. Prem Reddy and his signature enterprise, Prime Healthcare Services, find themselves militating to overcome the interference of a substantial law enforcement authority in the effort to maintain and expand Prime Healthcare as one of the largest health care providers in the state of California.

In the most recent case, the FBI has reportedly interested itself in Prime Healthcare’s billing practices with regard to services rendered to elderly patients. The FBI investigation follows an unsuccessful effort by the California Attorney General’s Office to block Prime Healthcare’s arrangement with Victor Valley Community Hospital to take on a managerial and operational role at that struggling hospital.

According to three well-placed sources, the FBI is interviewing current and former Prime Healthcare employees with regard to billing practices at Prime Healthcare Services.

Prime Healthcare, which was founded by Reddy in 1985, is today the largest operator of medical facilities in Southern California and it owns 14 hospitals in California and one hospital in Texas.

To read the rest of the story, click here.

iePolitics: Dream Act Part II

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I am prepared for the hate mail!!  I will preface that by saying that I believe that our borders should be sealed, those here illegally should be sent home with a few exceptions, and there should be no such thing as “anchor babies.”  I will also say that I believe all American citizens who want an education should be accommodated before we provide tax dollars for those here illegally.

All of that being said, our current policies and attitudes towards undocumented residents, especially in the areas of health care and education, are going to do nothing but lead to further decay of our country.  We are shooting ourselves in the foot; cutting off our nose to spite our face; bringing about our own destruction.

Continue reading →

iePolitics: Time To Cut Out The Cancer At ARMC

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As a child growing up with a mother who prescribed to old-fashioned thoughts about medical care, I was always told never to allow doctors to operate on cancer because exposing cancer cells to air would cause them to grow exponentially.  Of course, today we know how to use surgery to cure an otherwise fatal tumor.

Several years ago all of Southern California watched the crisis at the Los Angeles County-run King-Drew Medical Center.  If history can predict the future, we have a similar, fatal cancer growing at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) that needs to be excised fully and quickly.

The residents of San Bernardino County are being led to believe that the current investigations and accusations at San Bernardino County’s only county-run hospital are routine and relatively minor.  We keep hearing that they are part of the “learning process.”  ARMC has been in business for over 10 years and San Bernardino county has operated a hospital for decades before that.  If the county hasn’t learned how to run a hospital by now, I’m not sure it ever will. Continue reading →

Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack: Obamacare

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U.S. Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack

Hi, I have some important news to share with you.

This week, we delivered on a promise.   The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to repeal government-run health care which was signed into law by President Obama in 2010 without any input from Republicans.   While it’s uncertain what will happen in the U.S. Senate, it’s time to go back to the drawing board and start over.  And we should begin by observing one important golden rule: the doctor-patient relationship is sacred.   Decisions about treatment options should be made by patients and their families – not by bureaucrats in Washington.   Instead, let’s do something novel: let’s take the best ideas of both Republicans and Democrats and give Americans the kind of common-sense reforms that enjoy wide-spread support here in California and across our nation.

Continue reading →

Congressman Joe Baca: Free preventative care provisions will soon go into effect

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www.house.gov/baca/

Dear Friend,

I am pleased to share with you new provisions of health care reform that will make preventive care more accessible and affordable. These new regulations, authorized by the Affordable Care Act, require new health plans to cover preventive services at no cost to the patient. Americans currently use preventive services at only half of the recommended rate because of their prohibitive costs.

Comprehensive preventive care can save billions of dollars and thousands of lives. According to statistics from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), seven in ten deaths in America result from chronic and often preventable diseases. HHS data also shows that 69 million workers report missed days due to illness each year, which reduces economic output in this country by $260 billion per year. I believe we must do better, and this historic health reform legislation will keep many Americans, especially Inland residents, healthier and save our nation money in the long run.

Continue reading →

Tim Donnelly: Guess your voice doesn’t count in Pelosi’s Congress…

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The more we learn about the proposed Health (ObamaCare) Bill, the less the people want it! And what is Pelosi’s take? Too bad, you already approved it. The Supreme Court interpreted the Constitution to say that the “precise text of the bill” must be subject to a vote. Let that sink in for a minute. The more we know about it, the less we like it. But they are telling us our input is not welcome. The people be damned, the Supreme Court be damned, the Constitution be damned. That’s Nancy Pelosi’s take! Your voice is not welcome….she is not even pretending to govern at your consent. Continue reading →

Congressman Darrell Issa: Health Care

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Issa Plays Hardball

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) last week, outlined his common sense health care solution, H.R. 3438, “the Access to Insurance for All Americans Act,” with Chris Matthews on MSNBC’s “Hardball.”

We Can Help Those Who Cannot Afford Insurance
“I don’t speak for my party; I do speak for the 49th Congressional District. I can tell you that if we had a bill before us that said we would augment, in all 50 states, people who cannot afford insurance through a means testing, we would come up with a scheme to augment them – like we do with SCHIP and some other areas…as long as they really can’t afford it, we’re willing to help and those who can afford it should be told they better buy it and stop going to emergency rooms saying they have no insurance.”

Watch the video below

 
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Congressman Buck McKeon: Health Care

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Visit my Website | Click here if you have trouble viewing this email.
 
United States Congressman
Serving the 25th District of California

 

Article of Interest:  
Health Care

Earlier this week, the President made his final push for passage of his new health care plan, pointedly telling Congress he wants to see its passage before Spring district work period in April.  That’s only three weeks away.

Recent polling data, however, shows a majority of Americans are still against  government intrusion into their health care. It seems that Democratic Members are taking notice, as the number of retirements in the party continues to rise.

Seasoned former White House speechwriter for President Reagan, Peggy Noonan, even called this past year a “disaster,” in a recent article that I think is worth your time to read.

“What a Disaster Looks Like”
Peggy Noonan  (The Wall Street Journal Op-Ed)
March 5, 2010

It is now exactly a year since President Obama unveiled his health care push and his decision to devote his inaugural year to it—his branding year, his first, vivid year.

What a disaster it has been.

At best it was a waste of history’s time, a struggle that will not in the end yield something big and helpful but will in fact make future progress more difficult. At worst it may prove  . . . Continue
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Congressman Joe Baca: Health Insurance

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REPEALING ANTITRUST EXEMPTIONS FOR HEALTH INSURERS

Dear Friend:

Last week, I joined my colleagues in a bipartisan effort in the House of Representatives to support legislation that will create greater competition in the health insurance market, and end the unfair antitrust advantage that health insurers have relied on to exorbitantly raise premium rates.  H.R. 4626, the Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act, was approved by the House with a 406 to 19 vote.

The passage of this legislation is an important victory for hard working American families.  For too long the health insurance industry has been allowed to play by a different set of rules.  By repealing the blanket antitrust exemption given to insurance companies, this bill restores competition and transparency to the health market. Continue reading →

Senator Barbara Boxer: Childhood Obesity

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February 18, 2010

Dear Friend:

Last week, First Lady Michelle Obama launched a new public awareness program targeted at reducing the incidence of childhood obesity. As a long-time supporter of healthy programs for children, I encourage you to check out the new government website associated with this program at letsmove.gov

As Michelle Obama pointed out when she launched this program, childhood obesity is a serious problem. Currently in the nation, a third of all children are overweight, and many suffer from high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes. And unlike so many diseases that we are struggling to find cures for, we all know how to stop childhood obesity. The new “Let’s Move” program promotes four parts, helping parents make better food choices, serving healthier food at school, making healthy food more affordable and available, and encouraging children to engage in exercise.

I hope you will check out the resources on the website letsmove.gov and encourage the parents you know to do so, as well. We can make healthier decisions for our children so that they can lead better lives.

Sincerely,


Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

Congressman Buck McKeon: Health Care

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District Update | February 10, 2010
United States Congressman
Serving the 25th District of California
Article of Interest: Health Care
The government take-over of health care has stalled in Congress for now, in large part thanks to you, your friends and your neighbors who took a stand against it.  Thank you for your involvement.

While the House and Senate bills have stalled, certain portions of those bills may be voted on individually or rolled into other bills, so we need to be more vigilant than ever as the health care debate continues.

I found an interesting article that I wanted to share with you by Mort Kondracke, Executive Editor of Roll Call, that discusses certain portions of these bills. Kondracke explains why the Congressional Democrats’ version of health care reform will result in higher premiums for those with insurance.

Voters Are Right: They’ll Pay a Lot for Health Care Reform
By Morton M. Kondracke
Roll Call Executive Editor

The White House and liberal think tanks insist that health care reform will lower costs, but the public isnt buying it – and for good reasons.

Practically every aspect of the bills Democrats are considering – from covering the uninsured to taxes on providers, insurance reforms and Medicare cuts – will result in higher premiums for those with insurance. And unless Congress is willing to impose stricter cost controls than presently contemplated, many experts think there’s little chance of bending the curve of national health outlays or premiums. Continue reading →

Yahoo!: Henrietta Lacks’ ‘Immortal’ Cells

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(The article has little to do with politics, but I found it fascinating. – Administrator)

Henrietta Lacks' cells were essential in developing the polio vaccine and were used in scientific landmarks such as cloning, gene mapping and in vitro fertilization.

Journalist Rebecca Skloot’s new book investigates how a poor black tobacco farmer had a groundbreaking impact on modern medicine

  • By Sarah Zielinski
  • Smithsonian.com, January 22, 2010

Medical researchers use laboratory-grown human cells to learn the intricacies of how cells work and test theories about the causes and treatment of diseases. The cell lines they need are “immortal”—they can grow indefinitely, be frozen for decades, divided into different batches and shared among scientists. In 1951, a scientist at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, created the first immortal human cell line with a tissue sample taken from a young black woman with cervical cancer. Those cells, called HeLa cells, quickly became invaluable to medical research—though their donor remained a mystery for decades. In her new book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, journalist Rebecca Skloot tracks down the story of the source of the amazing HeLa cells, Henrietta Lacks, and documents the cell line’s impact on both modern medicine and the Lacks family.

Who was Henrietta Lacks?
She was a black tobacco farmer from southern Virginia who got cervical cancer when she was 30. A doctor at Johns Hopkins took a piece of her tumor without telling her and sent it down the hall to scientists there who had been trying to grow tissues in culture for decades without success. No one knows why, but her cells never died. Continue reading →

iePolitics: The Mental Health Field

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Before anyone starts calling the cops on me, I’m fine.  I’m not going to hurt myself.  I have a good support group around me now.  I’m only writing about this because there are so many who don’t.  Suicide is on the rise, especially in the military.  I’m finding that getting help, unless one is eligible for Medi-Cal, is impossible.

Before my battle with depression started a few years ago, I thought counseling was a lot of hooey.  I’d practically force clients into it, the whole time thinking I was wasting my time and theirs.  Once the depression hit and I was “forced” into counseling my mind changed a bit, but not completely.  If there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that counselors are more screwed up than patients.

I’m very frustrated.  My attorney says the county will not budge on my treatment, which basically means I get none and no medications.   It’s now been nine days without meds.  And there doesn’t seem to be a thing I can do about it until we go to trial.  My attorney has promised he is requesting an expedited trial but that is still 1.5 to 2 months away.

Today one of my counselors called me because I have missed my last two groups.  I had no way of getting there.  The gas gauge was on empty and Hartford is as screwed up as ever.  Since the truck doesn’t run on air and water, I couldn’t go.  I explained to her that I am very close to meltdown and really want to start the group over next week as I should have a check by then.  Her response was, “Sorry, I’m terminating you.”  I really wanted to respond, “I will be sure someone sends you a copy of my obituary,” but I had good sense enough not to. Continue reading →

iePolitics: Arrowhead Regional Medical Center

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I know we have a number of Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) staff, including some of its doctors, reading this blog.  I need some advice.

I wrote a short while back how I was treated by Dr. Pham.  I contacted Patient Rights at ARMC and was assured my complaint was being elevated.  I was supposed to hear back by January 11 and still haven’t heard a word.

Continue reading →

iePolitics: Stories We’re Working On

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At the top of my priority list right now is revealing the corruption within San Bernardino County’s Program Integrity Division, better known as the Welfare Fraud Unit, headed by Virginia Lugo. Welfare Fraud is the lowest of priorities in this county even though both internal and external fraud runs rampant.

I was discussing the issue with former San Bernardino County Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Bill Postmus this morning. It seems the two administrations since his have reduced the number of fraud investigators by over 75 percent in the past few years. This is just another example of how out of touch our current Board of Supervisors is with the public they have been elected to serve. Continue reading →