Saturday, April 29, 2017

I-Team: Drug Middleman Could Be Charging You More Than Your ...

CBS Boston / WBZ-14 hours ago
Brown says much of the blame lies with pharmacy benefit managers, or PMBs. They act as middlemen between insurance companies and pharmacists to

Board Revokes License of Pharmacist Convicted in 'Pill Mill' Ring

Patch.com-21 hours ago
The orders for Rosemary E. Ofume and the license for Medicine Center Pharmacy were served at the facility at 1634 Jonesboro Road SE in Atlanta. As of Friday .

Arkansas will face challenges replenishing execution supply

The News Tribune-10 hours ago
Some of those companies have even asked wholesalers who sell drug components to compounding pharmacies to sign contracts that they will not sell the ...

Racing industry should release NFL-styled injury report for Kentucky ...

Circleville Herald-8 hours ago
... and feet who've been shot up with painkillers, muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatory medications and performance-enhancing drugs, like thyroid hormone.

Performance Enhancing Drugs Now a Public Health--

Performance Enhancing Drugs Now a Public Health ... - MedPage Today

https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/publichealth/64917
19 hours ago - WASHINGTON -- A dozen years ago, Congress held widely-publicized hearings to lambaste Major League Baseball stars for using steroids and similar performance-enhancingsubstances, which were filtering down to youth sports in part because of their role modeling.

Friday, April 28, 2017

Quest Diagnostics to pay $6 million settlement for alleged kickback scheme
Medical laboratory giant Quest Diagnostics on Friday agreed to pay a $6 million settlement to resolve a lawsuit alleging a kickback scheme.  READ MORE
 

GOP shuts out doctors, experts, Democrats as they work on Obamacare repeal

Guardian Pharmacy Services, Dallas, TX

Florida Pharmacist Submits Guilty Plea on Kickback Charges

Florida Pharmacist Submits Guilty Plea on Kickback Charges ...

Lexology (registration)-2 hours ago
The entrepreneurial Baldizzi expanded the conspiracy by enlisting Centurion Compounding Inc., a "marketing" firm based in Wesley Chapel, Florida, to employ 

Big Pharma faces $26.5B in losses this year as next big patent cliff looms, analyst says

Big Pharma faces $26.5B in losses this year as next big patent cliff looms, analyst says

With $26.5 billion in cumulative sales at risk, several big-selling meds from some of the world’s top drugmakers face a patent expiry this year, according to Bernstein’s Tim Anderson, who’s warning of a “patent cliff 2.0.”

Public Health & Policy Is a Nationwide Vaccine Policy Needed? United with one immunization plan by MedPage Today Staff April 28, 2017

House delays Obamacare vote, denying Trump 100-day win GOP leaders are still struggling to round up enough moderates to get their repeal-and-replace bill through the chamber. By KYLE CHENEY , RACHAEL BADE and JOHN BRESNAHAN 04/27/17 03:06 PM EDT Updated 04/27/17 07:04 PM EDT

More details on patients losing vision after surgery and compounded injections used but what has and is the Texas Board of Pharmacy Doing on this office use compound drug issue?

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Partners HealthCare and Brigham and Women's Hospital to pay $10 ...

MassLive.com-11 hours ago
Partners HealthCare System and one of its hospitals, Brigham and Women's ... "Medical research fraud not only wastes scarce government resources but also ...
Harvard teaching hospital to pay $10 million to settle research ...
Highly Cited-Retraction Watch (blog)-10 hours ago

Millions wasted on prescription drugs

WPMI Local 15 News-2 hours ago
Yes," said Chief Pharmacist Annie Daniels. It's not uncommon for people to donate bags of medicine to the charitable pharmacy in Mobile, but Daniels says, they ...

A Dose of Leverage for Small Pharmacists

North Carolina Health News-13 hours ago
When a patient goes to the pharmacist to pick up a prescription of, say, Prilosec the anti-heartburn drug, it may cost one person a $5 copay, for another person .

Congressman, Pharmacist, and Lawyer Debate PBMs, Drug Prices ...

AJMC.com Managed Markets Network-9 hours ago
At the 2017 Community Oncology Conference, participants discussed the impact of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) on oncology drug prices and patient ...

Pinellas pharmacist pleads guilty in health care fraud case

Tampa Bay Business Journal-5 hours ago
... Inc. Centurion, in Pasco County, marketed compounded creams for pain and ... for the drugs if they were made with crushed tablets, the press release said.

High Importance!! Another Guilty Plea in Compounded Pain and Scar Cream Case--Pharmacist Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Pay Healthcare Kickbacks

Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Middle District of Florida

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Pharmacist Pleads Guilty To Conspiracy To Pay Healthcare Kickbacks


Tampa, FL – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces that Benjamin Nundy (39, Ruskin) today pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.

According to court documents, Nundy was a licensed pharmacist who co-owned Lifecare Pharmacy in Pinellas County with his business partner, Carlos Mazariegos. In 2014, Nundy, Mazariegos, and Dr. Anthony Baldizzi, a licensed physician, agreed that Lifecare would pay Baldizzi illegal kickbacks for prescriptions of compounded medications written by Baldizzi and filled at Lifecare. In May 2014, Mazariegos, acting on behalf of Lifecare, entered into a marketing agreement with Centurion Compounding Inc., a marketing firm in Pasco County that employed sales representatives to market compounded creams for pain and scars to beneficiaries of healthcare plans, especially TRICARE. These compounded creams typically ranged in price from $900 to $21,000 for a one-month supply.

Between May and November 2014, Centurion directed patients that it had recruited and the physicians within its network to send all of their compounded cream prescriptions to Centurion. Centurion then transmitted these prescriptions to Lifecare to be filled. Mazariegos, Nundy, and the principals of Centurion agreed to pay illegal kickbacks to Baldizzi equal to approximately 10% of the after-cost amount of each claim paid by TRICARE and other healthcare benefit programs as a result of compounded medication prescriptions written by Baldizzi and filled by Lifecare, for Centurion-recruited patients. For example, in December 2014, Mazariegos wrote a check to a car dealership for $71,900, funded with the proceeds from the operation of Lifecare, to pay for a BMW for Baldizzi in partial satisfaction of kickbacks that Lifecare and Centurion owed to him.

Lifecare received approximately $5.3 million from TRICARE for claims made for compounded medications prescribed by Baldizzi resulting from this illegal kickback relationship. Mazariegos and Nundy also billed Medicare $1,064,729 for compounded medications that Lifecare made with bulk powder ingredients when they knew that Medicare only reimbursed for such medications when they were made using crushed tablets.

Carlos Mazariegos pleaded guilty to engaging in a conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud on April 10, 2017.

A grand jury returned an indictment charging Baldizzi with conspiracy, receiving healthcare kickbacks, and engaging in illegal monetary transactions. The case is currently set for trial in January 2018.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mandy Riedel and Megan Kistler.
Topic: 
Financial Fraud
Healthcare Fraud
StopFraud
Updated April 26, 2017

Health Care Fraud still a major focus under Attorney General Jeff Sessions

Attorney General Jeff Sessions Delivers Remarks at Ethics and ...

https://www.justice.gov/.../attorney-general-jeff-sessions-delivers-remarks-ethics-and-...

3 days ago - The Department of Justice investigates and prosecutes people and ... theft; money laundering; securities fraud; government fraud; health care fraud; and Internet ...

Health Care Prosecutions Continue in New Administration - Lexology


www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=7fd7263a-0141-46c7-8d39...
Apr 10, 2017 - Health Care Prosecutions Continue in New Administration ... priorities of the U.S.Department of Justice will change under Attorney General Sessions. ... alike will require the DOJ to be focused on allegations of healthcare fraud in the future.

HHS, DoJ Recovered $3.3B From Healthcare Fraud Cases in 2016

HHS, DoJ Recovered $3.3B From Healthcare Fraud Cases in 2016

revcycleintelligence.com/.../hhs-doj-recovered-3.3b-from-healthcare-fraud-cases-in-2...
Jan 23, 2017 - The HHS and DoJ initiatives to fight and prevent healthcare fraud ... the public and private healthcare sector, and HHS educational sessions for ...

Republicans inching toward new healthcare agreement

Washington Examiner-22 hours ago
Republicans are mulling an amendment to the American Health Care Act, the Obamacare repeal deal that was pulled last month due to insufficient support.

Bernie Sanders To Introduce Health Care Legislation That Will Put ...

PoliticusUSA-13 hours ago
Bernie Sanders To Introduce Health Care Legislation That Will Put The GOP Plan To Shame. By Sean Colarossi on Wed, Apr 26th, 2017 at 9:05 pm. "We've got ...

Informative Read! The Coming Sea Change for Health Care Harvard Medical School

The Coming Sea Change for Health Care

Harvard Medical School (registration)-17 hours ago
If what's past is prologue, the history of the U.S. Affordable Care Act suggests that ongoing efforts at national health care and health insurance reform will ...

House, White House considering Friday health care vote

Axios-13 hours ago
There is now discussion on the Hill and in the White House about a health care vote this Friday. The House whip team is busy counting moderate votes and ...

Donald Trump's rude awakening on health care

CNN-3 hours ago
Despite the latest flurry of activity on the Hill Wednesday night, Trump's campaign promise to gut his predecessor's landmark health care law looks certain to ...

Court Finds Escobar Prevents Relators from Using FCA as an All ...

Lexology (registration)-22 hours ago
The two relators asserted FCA claims against Dr. Reddy's Laboratories (Reddy), a prescription drug manufacturer, and several retail pharmacy chains that ...

State: Former Pa. doctor illegally prescribed drugs leading to death

WKBN.com-16 hours ago
... months and defrauding a state medical insurance program of $23,600 by submitting 175 pharmacy medically unnecessary pharmacy claims for five patients.

Very High Importance!! Dallas surgeon blames bad compounded medication for patients' loss of vision

Dallas surgeon blames bad medicine for patients' loss of vision

kcentv.com-21 hours ago
That batch was compounded in Dallas by Guardian Pharmacy Services, not affiliated with the national Guardian Pharmacy Services headquartered in Atlanta.

Lawsuit: EpiPen Price Hikes Were Intended To Keep Competitor Out ...

Consumerist-19 hours ago
Then, according to the lawsuit, around May 2013, Sanofi says Mylan began to offer rebates to insurer and pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) of at least 30%, ...

Pharmacies' Price-Fixing Actions Too Similar, Judge Says

Pharmacies' Price-Fixing Actions Too Similar, Judge Says

Law360 (subscription)-13 hours ago
U.S. District Judge C. Darnell Jones II turned back a January motion from Brady Enterprises Inc., which owns and operates pharmacies in Illinois, and other ..

Pharmacies that supply execution drugs will be kept secret

The Statehouse File-16 hours ago
Eric Holcomb said he supports a provision in the budget bill to keep secret the identities of pharmacies supplying the state with drugs for lethal injection

Pharmacist Accused Of Pushing Steroids Flips The Script With New Legal Career | The Fix

Pharmacist Accused Of Pushing Steroids Flips The Script With New Legal Career | The Fix: After a firsthand look at the power of the law, a Florida man who once faced 295 years in jail is opening his own law practice.

The New England Compounding Center: The CEO of a ...

JD Supra (press release)-21 hours ago
This was really a public health tragedy . . . I re- member feeling very scared.'' This is how Dr. Benjamin Park, a division chief at the U.S. Center for Disease ...

If this is true, then more oversight at the state and federal level may be essential with more resources and funding needed at both the federal and state level

Compounding Pharmacies Market Poised to Rake US$ 9.7 Bn by ...

Medgadget (blog)-19 hours ago
The global compounding pharmacies market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 6% during the forecast period (2015 – 2021). Compounding pharmacies ...

Minnesota Board of Pharmacy Minutes from February 1, 2017 Meeting

February 1 2017

DEA ALERT: Faxed-Based Phishing Scam Targeting Pharmacies



The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has received notification of a faxed-based phishing scam. The DEA urges registered Pharmacies to be on guard against a fax asking for licensing information. The DEA is continuously identifying safeguards against suspicious activity, but cybercriminals are ever evolving with identity theft scams. For more information, click here.

Mississippi Board of Pharmacy Meeting Scheduled for May 18, 2017

May 18, 2017

Mississippi Board of Pharmacy Minutes from Meeting on March 16, 2017

The Mississippi Board of Pharmacy met on March 9, 2017 to conduct business and hold disciplinary hearings. Please click the following link MBP Board Meeting Summary Report: March 2017​ to read a synopsis of the items presented or considered by the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy during their meeting.

Nebraska Board of Pharmacy May 8, 2017

05/8/17​9:00 a.m.​Country Inn & Suites
5353 N 27th St Lincoln NE

Nevada Board of Pharmacy Meeting Schedule for May 31 to June 1, 2017

May 31 & June 1May 1Reno

New Jersey Board of Pharmacy

April 26, 2017View Agenda View Agenda

New Hampshire April 26, 2017 Agenda pdf file Special Supplemental Meeting

Ohio Board of Pharmacy Guidance on Compounding

Oregon State Board of Pharmacy Notice of Rulemaking Hearing – 5/25/17​​​

Physician groups oppose new AHCA proposal 
A coalition of six physicians' groups sent a letter Wednesday to Congress critical of the latest version of the American Health Care Act, which would give states the option of scaling back essential health benefits such as mental health coverage.  READ MORE
Will some states return to the pre-ACA status quo if AHCA passes?
With the right flank of House Republicans endorsing a rewrite of the American Health Care Act, students of health reform are trying to understand how insurance markets might change in 2018, or more dramatically in 2020.  READ MORE

FDA Law Blog: Apotex Petitons FDA on Biosimilar NEULASTA; Wants Comparative Clinical Efficacy Studies in at Least One Patient Population Posted: 26 Apr 2017 07:01 PM PDT By Sara W. Koblitz –

CardioBrief: Serious Questions Raised About Validity Of International Trials TOPCAT analysis is the 'smoking gun' for trouble from 'offshoring' trials