Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/904318
50 HEALTHCARE NEWS Feds Charge Former Tenet Executives in $400M Fraud Case By Ayla Ellison T he U.S. Department of Justice has brought new charges against two for- mer executives of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare and the ex-CEO of a prenatal clinic who were allegedly involved in a $400 million fraud scheme. Tenet agreed to pay approximately $514 mil- lion in October 2016 to resolve allegations the company paid kickbacks in exchange for patient referrals. Although Tenet settled the lawsuit, the federal government attached a name to the case earlier this year when John Holland, who previously served as senior vice president of operations for Tenet's Southern States Region and as CEO of North Fulton Medical Center in Roswell, Ga., was charged in the fraud scheme. According to the DOJ, Mr. Holland and his co-conspirators circumvented Tenet's inter- nal accounting controls to pay illegal kick- backs and bribes to clinics in Georgia and South Carolina that referred pregnant pa- tients to Tenet hospitals for Medicaid-cov- ered deliveries. Federal prosecutors allege the illegal scheme helped Tenet bill the Georgia and South Carolina Medicaid programs for more than $400 million. A new indictment, made public Wednesday, includes a slew of charges against Mr. Hol- land and drags two additional defendants into the case: William Moore, former CEO of Atlanta Medical Center, which was previ- ously operated by Tenet, and Edmundo Cota, former president and CEO of Clinica de la Mama, the network of clinics in Georgia and South Carolina that allegedly received kick- backs from Tenet. e indictment charges Mr. Holland with conspiracy to violate the federal Anti-Kick- back Statute, wire fraud, falsification of books and records, and major fraud against the U.S. Mr. Moore is charged with wire fraud, falsifi- cation of books and records, and major fraud against the U.S. Each of their attorneys issued statements Sept. 27 claiming their clients are not guilty, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Mr. Cota was indicted for payment and re- ceipt of bribes and wire fraud. e case is pending in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. n CVS to Implement 7-Day Opioid Prescription Limit in February: 5 Things to Know By Megan Wood C VS Pharmacy announced it will cap opioid prescrip- tions to seven days for some conditions, effective Feb. 1, 2018, according to NBC News. Here are five things to know: 1. The CDC reported patients received a 13-day average pill supply in 2006; that number skyrocketed to 18 days in 2015. 2. This move makes CVS the pioneer among national retail pharmacy chains to limit the number of opioids physicians can prescribe. 3. The pharmacy giant is also mandating pharmacists dis- cuss addiction risks, storage security and disposal processes with patients receiving opioids. 4. CVS will determine restrictions based on opioid strength. 5. The pharmacy giant is also investing an additional $2 mil- lion for medication-assisted treatment programs in commu- nity health centers. n Physician's Resignation Drives Virginia Hospital to Close By Leo Vartorella S tuart, Va.-based Pioneer Community Hospital of Patrick began diverting patients from its ER Sept. 13 before announcing later in the day that it will soon close within days, according to WDBJ7. The ER shutdown is the first phase of the hospital's clo- sure. All admitted acute care patients will be treated un- til they are ready for discharge or transfer, the hospital's clinic continued to see scheduled patients and outpatient visits continued as scheduled through September 15. The hospital filed for bankruptcy in March 2016. Adminis- trators were hoping to organize a sale of the hospital and seamlessly transition service, but were not able to reach a deal with a buyer. The resignation of one physician ap- pears to be the deciding factor for the change in plans to close. In a statement, the hospital said it was exploring a sale when the physician recruited in 2016 to lead its clinic submitted his resignation on July 31, with his final day be- ing September 30. Patrick County's Emergency Services Coordinator told WDBJ7 the county doesn't employ full-time EMS work- ers. They're volunteers, and the hospital closure is ex- pected to greatly affect them and transport times, which may go from 30 minutes to two to three hours. n