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POSTED ON MAY 3, 2012 BY TODD RODRIGUEZ
When it comes to record-breaking Medicare fraud busts, the hits keep coming. The feds announced today another nationwide takedown of physicians and other healthcare providers for Medicare fraud totaling in excess of $450 million. All told, 107 people have been charged in this week’s bust for, among other things, submitting false claims to the Medicare program. Read more about it here.
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Prostatic artery embolization, a new interventional radiology treatment, may bring hope to men with debilitating symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate, say the group of researchers who pioneered its use.
“Having an enlarged prostate is very common in many men over the age of 50, and these new findings provide hope for those who might not be candidates for transurethral resection of the prostate, or TURP–and may allow them to avoid serious complications that sometime result from surgery, such as impotence, retrograde ejaculation and urinary incontinence. This could mean that more men have a chance at getting their lives back,” said Francisco Cesar Carnevale, M.D. Ph.D., professor and chief of the interventional radiology section at the Hospital das Clinicas Hospital of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil.
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Brain scans of astronauts who were in space for long periods of time suggest a significant occurrence of a condition that can affect vision.
New research from NASA suggests that prolonged periods of time in space may cause serious damage to your eyes. Brain scan tests were performed on 27 astronauts who had spent an average of 108 days floating in space.
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Leading US-Based Radiology Service Provider Launches Major Effort Aimed at International Expansion
MT. LAUREL, N.J., Mar 20, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — USARAD.com announces a Joint Venture between its international subsidiary WorldRad.com division and Global Hawk Telemedicine based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to fill the expanding need for quality MRI and CT subspecialty reads in the Middle East. The Joint-Commission accredited USARAD.com will provide U.S. board-certified and highly qualified American Board Certified radiologists in a full range of radiology sub-specialties to contribute to Global Hawk Telemedicine services. Initially, the partnership will operate in Dubai and then expand into other areas in United Arab Emirates and other parts of Middle East.
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According to The Northern Virginia Daily newspaper, Robert J. Eversole II has filed a $2 million wrongful-death lawsuit claiming that his wife died two years ago because a hospital lacked radiologist at night and sent CT images to a teleradiologist who misread them.
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An International Division of the Teleradiology Firm, USARAD, has signed a major contract for the exclusive reading of ultrasounds in Guyana.
The company, known as WorldRad, inked the deal with Guyana’s Imaging Providers (GIP), and is now the first American Teleradiology firm to help fill a medical services gap in a developing country. GIP Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Thomas Eversley said that WorldRad was selected as the exclusive provider of 24/7 teleradiology services for the local firm.
According to Eversley, the international division of the highly competitive U.S. teleradiology company will provide assistance to cover the radiology’s general and obstetrician ultrasound services, filling an important need in the country.
“Ultrasound is widely used modality in many nations with limited healthcare technology and other resources such as Guyana,” Eversley said.
The CEO added that the need for qualified radiologists who can read a large volume of varied ultrasound images in Guyana is great due to the current shortage of qualified radiologists.
Meanwhile, the chief executive officer of both internet-based teleradiology companies, Dr Michael Yuz said the agreement will play a crucial role in bringing a higher quality of care to an underserved population in a country that suffers from a shortage of qualified radiologists.
Dr Yuz explained that there is a tremendous need in Guyana for a model of how teleradiology services can benefit patients and practice in areas facing a shortage of medical imaging services.
To deliver its services, images are stored and accessed by PACS (a picture archiving and communication system), medical imaging technology on a secured USARAD cloud, and enabling streamlined, flexible connectivity from any location. WorldRad promises to offer the site the services of a full range of sub-specialty radiologists as the needs of Guyana’s imaging expand while maintaining the same business practice that has brought USARAD its high degree of success in the U.S., Dr Yuz stressed.
“WorldRad is committed to delivering fast service, with STAT studies within an average of 15 to 20 minutes and routine cases within several hours.”
The company will also be available to provide consultation and second opinion on exams which are read in Guyana. All examinations from Guyana will be read by U.S. board-certified radiologists located within the United States to ensure high-quality reading. WorldRad is headed by the same management and utilises the same radiology-on-demand platform as USARAD. “WorldRad is committed to providing services at reasonable fees to address the needs of the local marketplace… We are extremely excited about the new relationship in Guyana,” Dr Yuz noted.
He explained that as the sophistication of medical services offered in the country grows, so will the need for more qualified radiologists, and WorldRad is perfectly positioned to meet that need.
WorldRad was launched in October 2011 and provides services across the globe from Europe and Asia to the Middle East, South America and more. It fills a vital need in underdeveloped countries where trained physicians are at a premium as well as in other locations experiencing a similar radiology shortage seen in the U.S. a decade ago.
“In some countries, the average report turn around time when using local radiologists is not minutes but weeks. American radiologists are highly trained and well-regarded throughout the world,” Dr Yuz said. He pointed out that WorldRad can significantly enhance the speed and quality of care in many locations, and is already doing so in Russia, the Middle East and Latin American. USARAD is headquartered in Mount Laurel, New Jersey and is one of the fastest growing teleradiology groups in the country. The company provides 24/7/365 service in all 50 states for imaging centres, hospitals and mobile imaging providers.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) has been busy combating fraud and abuse over the last few years – the monies it has recovered more than doubled from 2006 to 2010, topping $4 billion in fiscal year 2010 alone. And OIG’s enforcement efforts will undoubtedly increase because of the balanced budget pressure in Washington.
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According to a new report on the teleradiology market from the health-care research company KLAS, many former NightHawk customers are considering to discontinue the service. Virtual Radiologic (Vrad) purchased NightHawk Radiologic and created the country’s largest teleradiology company. Everyone is curious about the consequences of this merger. Emily Crane, KLAS director of teleradiology research and author of the report, as saying: Many NightHawk customers have reported challenges with turnaround times, and reading physicians have struggled with the transition to vRad’s technology since the acquisition.
Under the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA), all Medicare suppliers of the technical component of advanced imaging services have until by January 1, 2012 to become accredited by an accreditation organization designated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services . This includes physicians, non-physician practitioners, and physician and non-physician organizations paid for the technical component of advanced imaging services under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.
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For the last couple of years I have been telling my physician and provider clients that they should expect to see a dramatic rise in healthcare health fraud investigations and prosecutions. According to a recent article published by USA Today citing statistics released by the Transactional Records Access Clearing House, my prediction (albeit a fairly easy one) is proving to be true. According to the USA Today article, federal healthcare prosecutions for 2011 are on track to increase 85% over 2010, and fraud prosecutions have gone up 71% from five years ago. In addition, according to Justice Department statistics, there have already been more Medicare fraud trial convictions in the first eight months of 2011 than there were in 2010.
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