Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Texas Medical Supplier At Center Of Global Medicare Billing Scam, Feds Say
CBS News: Russian-Run Texas Medical Supplier At Center Of Massive Medicare Billing Scheme, Feds Say
A small Austin medical supply business that appeared to be little more than a mailroom is at the center of an alleged Medicare billing scheme that prosecutors say moved quickly and funneled millions of dollars overseas, according to a newly filed federal criminal complaint. Nika Machutadze, a Russian citizen living in Texas, is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering. Investigators say two medical equipment companies tied to him — including Centurion Superior Medical in North Austin — billed Medicare and other health programs for urinary catheters that patients did not need or receive. (New, 2/24)
More about Medicare —
Stat: Pharma Strategy To Thwart Medicare Price Cut Plans Comes Into View
The pharmaceutical and biotech industries are pushing back against two Trump administration proposals that would test plans to lower drug prices in Medicare by aligning them with the prices paid in other rich countries. (Wilkerson, 2/24)
Modern Healthcare: How Hospital-At-Home Programs Could Use Drones, AI To Scale
Technology companies are racing to bring tools to market aimed at helping health systems provide hospital-at-home more effectively. The federal government extended Medicare’s Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver through September 2030, making at-home reimbursement rates equal to in-hospital care. In response, providers are looking to expand their programs — including investing in technology to address common pain points. Competition for those dollars could be fierce. (Eastabrook, 2/24)
In other health care industry updates —
The New York Times: Leader Of Columbia Brain Institute Quits Over Friendship With Epstein
Richard Axel, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist and professor, announced Tuesday that he was resigning as a co-director of a flagship neuroscience institute at Columbia University because of his friendship with Jeffery Epstein. The resignation is the latest fallout in the world of academia from the release of millions of pages of files in late January that showed how Mr. Epstein’s relationships with billionaires, scientists and others in positions of power continued even after his 2008 felony convictions and his prison sentence for solicitation of prostitution by a minor. (Otterman, 2/25)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: WashU To Absorb St. Louis College Of Pharmacy
University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis will wind down operations in spring 2027, with Washington University set to acquire its campus and absorb one of its four colleges. (Obradovic, 2/24)
KHOL/Jackson Hole Community Radio: An Infusion Clinic Closed. Cancer Patients Now Drive A Longer Road
Brad Boner sits in a reclining chair in St. John’s Health oncology clinic. Small partitions separate five adjacent bays where patients – some talk on the phone or type on laptops, trying to work – receive intravenous infusions. (Boyd-Fliegel, 2/24)
NBC News: Patients Hit Dead Ends With Insurance 'Ghost Networks.' Now, Some Are Suing
It’s a familiar frustration for those trying to find a doctor or therapist: You browse the provider directory on your insurance company’s portal and, at first, it seems like there are plenty of options. But it turns out that some providers are not accepting new patients, and others only work in hospital settings. Still others are out of network or don’t return calls. And some phone numbers and addresses are simply wrong. The situation is so common that there’s a term for it: a ghost network. (Bendix, Herzberg and Snow, 2/25)
MedPage Today: More Residency Slots Needed In Rural Areas, Lawmakers And Health Experts Say
Putting more residency training slots in rural areas is key to increasing access to healthcare among rural and underserved communities, several lawmakers and witnesses said Tuesday at a House hearing on advancing the next generation of the healthcare workforce. "Rural hospitals must overcome a lack of resources, staff, and patient volume to establish new residency programs while simultaneously getting reimbursed less than their urban counterparts," Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.), who chaired the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee hearing in the subcommittee chair's absence, said in his opening statement. (Frieden, 2/24)
AP: As Literacy Rates Lag, A Pediatric Hospital Is Screening For Reading Ability
For some young children in Columbus, Ohio, reading assessments don’t start in the kindergarten classroom — they happen first in the doctor’s office. With concerns rising about lagging childhood literacy rates across the country, Nationwide Children’s Hospital has begun screening children’s literacy skills starting at age 3 during pediatrician visits. The idea is to catch reading struggles early on and guide parents on how to help their kids. (Seminera, 2/25)
