Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1013189
50 HEALTHCARE NEWS New York City physician sues former patient for $1M over negative Yelp review By Ayla Ellison J oon Song, MD, an OB-GYN in New York City, has filed a $1 million lawsuit against a former patient who posted negative reviews of the physician online, according to CBS New York. e former patient, Michelle Levine, visited Dr. Song once in August for an annual exam. Aer the visit, Ms. Levine claims she was billed for an "ultrasound and a new patient visit" when she should have been billed for an annual exam. Ms. Levine said she did receive an ultrasound, but she did not learn until af- ter her visit that an ultrasound is not part of an annual exam, according to Newsweek. Ms. Levine said she complained to Dr. Song's office, but the bill was not corrected. Ms. Levine then le critical reviews of the of- fice's business practices on various websites, including Yelp, Zocdoc and Healthgrades. In her initial Yelp review, Ms. Levine said she was the victim of "medical billing fraud." She also referred to Dr. Song as a "crook" and "scam artist" in the reviews, according to Newsweek. In a comment response to one of Ms. Levine's reviews, Dr. Song's office said Ms. Levine complained of "acute and worrisome symp- toms" which required additional medical evaluation that superseded the annual check- up, according to Newsweek. Ms. Levine took down all of the negative re- views aer Dr. Song sued her for defamation, libel and emotional distress. In a statement to CBS New York, Dr. Song's lawyer said, "While everyone is entitled to their opinion, outright lies masquerading as reviews can inflict serious damage to a medi- cal practice or small business." A Yelp spokesperson told CBS New York it generally encourages businesses to resolve issues directly with reviewers instead of through litigation. n Nurse accused of stealing more than $550K from New York hospital By Ayla Ellison A nurse in New York City faces felony charges for allegedly stealing more than $550,000 from Interfaith Medical Center, a nonprofit hospital in Brooklyn, and defrauding Medicaid of more than $30,000, according to Acting New York Attorney Gen- eral Barbara D. Underwood. According to the attorney general's office, Keisha De- mas, RN, collected more than $550,000 from 2013 through 2016 through a "no-show" job at Interfaith. Interfaith contracted with Ms. Demas through an out- side nursing agency, and she allegedly conspired with a former hospital employee to falsify timesheets to make it appear she was working when she was not. Ms. Demas allegedly paid kickbacks to the hospital employee who assisted her in the scheme. Although Ms. Demas' income was more than $100,000 in each year of the scheme, she reportedly did not file personal income taxes in New York, resulting in a near- ly $40,000 underpayment in taxes. Ms. Demas also allegedly claimed she had no income in 2014 and 2015 to obtain more than $30,000 in Medicaid benefits. Ms. Demas faces several felony charges, including grand larceny, forgery and tax fraud. If convicted, she faces five to 15 years in prison. n University Hospitals launches bundled payment program with Walmart By Ayla Ellison W almart has con- tracted with Uni- versity Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center for a bundled payment pro- gram for joint replacement procedures and orthopedic care for Walmart employees and their families. Under the agreement, Walmart health plan enroll- ees will receive 100 percent coverage for joint replace- ment surgery at UH Cleve- land Medical Center, along with any travel or lodging costs. "The partnership between UH and Walmart focuses on quality care and value for the patient," said UH CEO Tom Zenty in a press release. "I applaud Walmart for giving its employees access to the very best care while keeping affordability in mind." UH Cleveland Medical Cen- ter will review patients' medical records, use a team approach to develop a treat- ment plan, provide patient and caregiver education on treatment expectations, man- age patients' transition home and collaborate with local physicians. Self-insured companies are increasingly contracting di- rectly with providers for spe- cialty care and treatment to trim costs and help improve outcomes. In addition to UH Medical Center, Walmart has 10 other joint replacement Centers of Excellence across the nation, according to Crain's Cleveland Business. n