10
ASC
MANAGEMENT
Anesthesiologist
faces up to 10 years
in prison for alleged
healthcare fraud,
denies accusations —
5 takeaways
By Angie Stewart
A
dam Arredondo, MD, of Waxahachie-based
Texas Anesthesia and Pain Management Insti-
tute faces up to 10 years in prison and up to a
$100,000 fine for alleged healthcare fraud, according
to a report from Daily Light.
Here are five takeaways:
1. e anesthesiologist was indicted by a federal grand
jury Aug. 8 on allegations he called "bogus" and
"totally untrue."
2. Dr. Arredondo is accused of soliciting and receiving
two $10,000 checks in exchange for referring com-
pounding prescriptions to Skiatook, Okla.-based OK
Compounding, aer being hired as a consultant. OK
Compounding allegedly submitted claims for prescrip-
tion compounding drugs to Medicare, Tricare and
Federal Employees' Compensation Act beneficiaries.
e two checks made out to Dr. Arredondo were dated
Aug. 14, 2013 and Sept. 13, 2013.
3. Dr. Arredondo also allegedly recruited other physi-
cians to contract with OK Compounding through
Taffinder Marketing, a company he controlled. e
indictment states a $30,000 check dated Sept. 13, 2013
was made out to Taffinder Marketing.
4. Dr. Arredondo told the Daily Light a company
called R&A Medical Marketing hired him to evalu-
ate medication and conduct research, and he only
assessed information brought to his office. He said he
ended his relationship with the company via email
Aug. 1, 2013, aer observing "odd" practices.
"ere is no referral numeration, number one," Dr.
Arredondo said. "Number two, Medicare fraud? I
don't take Medicare. Number three, Tricare and De-
partment of Labor, I don't see those. Back then, I saw
one Tricare patient. Tricare is part of the government.
It is a VA hospital. ey go to the VA. How can I get
paid [with] one patient? It's impossible."
5. He said his legal team hopes the case will be thrown
out as soon as possible. n
Colorado hospital ends relationship
with Vail Summit Orthopaedics: 5
highlights
By Mackenzie Garrity
F
risco, Colo.-based St. Anthony Summit Medical Center de-
clined to renew its contract with Vail (Colo.) Summit Ortho-
paedics, according to the Summit Daily.
Here are five highlights:
1. St. Anthony, instead, partnered with Denver-based Panorama
Orthopedics & Spine Center, effective Oct. 1.
2. Vail Summit Orthopaedics surgeons have been providing emer-
gency trauma surgery for Summit patients for more than 30 years.
3. Some Vail Summit Orthopaedics surgeons believe the hospital's
partnership with Panorama Orthopedics & Spine Center is retali-
ation after Vail Summit Orthopaedics did not agree to a contract
that would exclusively commit its surgeons to St. Anthony.
4. Panorama Orthopedics & Spine Center's new practice will be named
Summit Orthopedics at Panorama Orthopedics & Spine Center.
5. St. Anthony Summits's interim CEO Marshall Denkinger, MD,
denied accusations its decision to find new trauma surgeons was
out of retaliation. n
Former orthopedic clinic employee
gets 10 years probation after
stealing $10K: 4 key points
By Laura Dyrda
A
former employee was given probation, after stealing more
than $10,000 from Columbus, Ga.-based St. Francis Hospi-
tal's orthopedic clinic, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.
Here are four things to know:
1. The employee pleaded guilty Sept. 10 to felony theft. She had
been responsible for depositing receipts from the orthopedic
clinic and regularly took money for herself.
2. Between October 2014 and February 2015, the employee took
amounts ranging from $1,200 to $2,800 when she was supposed
to deposit the receipts. The hospital found the money was missing
while attempting to reconcile accounts.
3. The former employee was required to repay $3,500 of the mon-
ey within seven days of the guilty plea and the rest on a monthly
basis. The employee will also spend 10 years on probation and not
work in financial management in the future.
4. The employee did not have prior criminal history, according to
the report. n
