News in brief - Oct. 16, 2006
Pediatric group settles whistle-blower lawsuit -
Most uninsured kids have working parents
Pediatric group settles whistle-blower lawsuit
Pediatrix Medical Group Inc., a network of physicians that provides neonatal intensive care services in 32 states, agreed to pay $25 million to settle federal claims that the firm falsely billed Medicaid, TRICARE and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. The Justice Dept. accused Pediatrix of "upcoding" claims from January 1996 through December 1999 by billing for critical care services for infants who were not critically ill.
Pediatrix denies any wrongdoing in the September agreement and said it fully cooperated with the government investigation. The case was initiated as a whistle-blower lawsuit brought by Colorado neonatologist Daniel M. Hall, MD, who will receive $1.6 million from the total federal recovery.
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Most uninsured kids have working parents
One out of nine children in the United States -- or 9 million -- are uninsured, according to "No Shelter From The Storm: America's Uninsured Children," a new report from the consumer group Families USA.
Of those children, 88% come from families in which at least one parent works, 59% live with two parents, and 39% live with two working parents.
"For those 9 million uninsured children, the resulting harm is huge -- in denied health care, as well as stunted educational and personal development," said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA.
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Copyright 2006 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
