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A district court has denied Community Health Network's motion to dismiss a whistleblower case alleging that the Indianapolis-based provider overpaid physicians for in-network referrals. In a Wednesday filing, Judge Richard Young of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana ruled that the Justice Department's early 2020 filing argued a "plausible" False Claims Act violation and was pleaded with "sufficient particularity." Young also decided that the government may proceed with its claims for payment by mistake and unjust enrichment. "For the foregoing reasons, Defendant's Motion to Dismiss United States' Complaint in Intervention is denied," the judge wrote. Community had filed its motion to dismiss in January 2021. The government's case is tied to a 2014 whistleblower complaint filed by former Chief Financial Officer Thomas Fischer, in which he alleged that the system had violated federal and state false cla

There are all kinds of ways to have a cough, none of them fun. But whether your wet cough is gross or your dry cough has become painful, know that a cough is your body's way of protecting itself, explains Raymond Casciari, M.D., a pulmonologist at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, CA. When you cough, "you're helping to propel things out of your lungs that could make you sick," says Jehan Riar, M.D., a board-certified primary care physician with Mercy Personal Physicians. Still, what's underlying your cough can vary widely, and it helps to know what exactly you're dealing with. The most common types of coughs Here's a breakdown of the major types of cough you may experience, what each could mean, and how to get some relief already. Dry cough What it is : A dry cough typically means you're coughing but no mucus or congestion is coming up, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That can make your airways, throat, and chest feel so

Stand up for the facts! Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help. More Info I would like to contribute "There is no such thing as a booster. There is a failed product that is sometimes used again in hopes of a different outcome." President Joe Biden receives a COVID-19 booster shot on Sept. 27, 2021 (AP) Vaccine boosters mean vaccines failed? Wrong If Your Time is short The effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines is shown in the higher infection rates, spread, hospitalization and death among unvaccinated people. It's common to give boosters to maintain or lengthen the protection provided by an initial vaccination. A viral image claimed that COVID-19 vaccines are a "failed product"

MINNETONKA, Minn.--( BUSINESS WIRE )--UnitedHealthcare ® today introduced its 2022 Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans, offering expanded access to plans with differentiated value, simple and affordable benefit design and an unparalleled member experience – all defined by what consumers say matters to them most. "Medicare Advantage plans continue to evolve in new and exciting ways. But what we consistently hear from our members and Medicare consumers overall, is that they crave stability of benefits and a hassle-free experience that gets them the care and coverage they need at a price they can afford," said Tim Noel, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement. "We challenge ourselves every year to strike that balance of meaningful innovation in our offerings with plan predictability, broad value and the distinctive experience our members have come to expect from UnitedHealthcare. And I believe we hit the mark on that again this year."

Written by Melissa Bean Sterzick Arthritis, heart disease, cancer, respiratory diseases and Alzheimer's disease are the top five health concerns seniors face. While there are differences in how these conditions are prevented or treated, one thing is easy to accomplish and necessary to reduce risk: an annual visit with your primary care physician. For seniors with Medicare benefits, the annual wellness visit is completely covered and has a broader scope than an annual physical. Sara Kanamori, DO, and Alya Torna, MD, both Torrance Memorial Physician Network doctors, encourage seniors to take advantage of this benefit. Why are annual wellness visits essential for seniors? Dr. Alya Torna: Seniors have diverse health needs, and we want to partner in the best approach to their care. It's very important because a wellness exam is a preventive type of care. We focus on wellness and keeping health problems from progressing. And the best part

St. Luke's, a clinic with a staff of four in a nondescript shopping center, offers an unorthodox combination of concierge-style medicine for the well-off and charity care for the uninsured. This article was published on Tuesday, October 26, 2021 in Kaiser Health News. By Bernard J. Wolfson    MODESTO, Calif. — Britta Foster and Minerva Tiznado are in different leagues as far as healthcare is concerned. Foster, who married into the family that owns the $2.5 billion Foster Farms chicken company, has Blue Shield coverage as well as a high-octane primary care plan that gives her 24/7 digital access to her doctor for a $5,900 annual fee that also covers her husband and two of their children. Tiznado is from Nayarit, Mexico, and has no insurance. She gets free primary care visits and steep discounts on prescription drugs, lab tests and imaging. But Tiznado, 32, and Foster, 48, go to the same place for their care: St. Luke's Family Practice, in this Central Valley ci

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--( BUSINESS WIRE )--Foundation Medicine, Inc. today announced that the company has signed agreements for in-network provider status with Humana Military and Health Net Federal Services, which administer the TRICARE health program for military members, retirees and their families (TRICARE). 1,2 TRICARE is one of the largest health plans in the United States with 9.6 million beneficiaries. Under the new agreements, TRICARE beneficiaries now have improved access to Foundation Medicine's FDA-approved comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) tests, FoundationOne®CDx and FoundationOne®Liquid CDx, in accordance with their approved indications for all solid tumors. Through tissue or blood samples, FoundationOne CDx and FoundationOne Liquid CDx evaluate more than 300 genes known to drive cancer growth and identify patients who may be eligible for specific targeted therapies, immunotherapies or clinical trials. In-network coverage of FoundationOne CDx and FoundationOne L

Drew Barrymore, 46, had quite the weekend—spending time backstage with comedian friends Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverstein, Chelsea Handler, and Sarah Cooper. The former Santa Clarita star paid Chelsea Handler a visit during the comedian's "Vaccinated & Horny" tour in New York City's Beacon Theatre. In the photo, Drew posed makeup-free—looking all glowy and dewy. Drew Barrymore may have her own " data-vars-ga-product-id="e3190500-cc03-41e4-b240-3ba18f285b23" data-vars-ga-product-price="0.00" data-vars-ga-product-sem3-brand=" " data-vars-ga-product-sem3-category data-vars-ga-product-sem3-id data-affiliate-network>makeup company, but she often loves to go bare-faced. Case in point: a new pic she just shared on Instagram, where she's hanging out with a slew of famous comedians without wearing a stitch of makeup. The photo is jam-packed with celebrities. There's Drew, of course, along with Chelsea Handler, Amy Schumer, S

Heritage Health-Springfield, a 178-bed, for-profit nursing home that has operated in Springfield since 1985, plans to close Dec. 17, displacing more than 100 residents at the facility and 180 employees. Officials from Bloomington-based Heritage Operations Group cited financial and staffing challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic and inadequate reimbursements from the Medicaid program as reasons for closing the facility at 900 N. Rutledge St.  "The pandemic has led to historically low occupancy levels coupled with exploding operating costs," Heritage Operations Group president and chief operating officer Ben Hart said in a written statement Wednesday. Heritage officials said the nursing home, which is jointly owned by nonprofit Memorial Health and for-profit Heritage Operating Group and operated by Heritage as managing partner, is the second-largest nursing home in Springfield. Between 60% and 70% of its 113 patients have their care paid for by t

In 1921, the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) tuberculosis vaccine was first administered to a human. The vaccine was developed by French scientists Albert Calmette and Camille Guérin to protect against tuberculosis of the lungs, a leading cause of death in the early 1900s. In the hundred years since its first use, the BCG vaccine has not only prevented countless deaths from tuberculosis, but has been widely used to protect against or treat a number of other diseases. The jab, a mainstay on the World Health Organization (WHO)'s List of Essential Medicines, is given to around 100 million children worldwide every year. Pharmaceutical Technology takes a look at the vaccine's history and its applications elsewhere in medicine today. Vaccin

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The remaining seven countries on England's Covid travel red list will be removed from next Monday. Fully-vaccinated arrivals from Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Peru, Panama, Haiti and Venezuela will no longer have to quarantine in a hotel. But the red list system will be kept in place and a country could be added back on it if cases rise there. The transport secretary said it was a "great boost for travel and all those people employed in the travel sector". Grant Shapps added: "We have been able to do this now because the variants of concern that we have been tracking are no longer of concern to the chief medical officers." The Department for Transport (DfT) said "Delta is now the dominant variant in most countries around the world. This means the risk of known variants entering the UK has reduced and the government can confidently remove these seven