Wednesday, March 10, 2021
On February 4, 2021, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”), Office of Public Affairs, issued a Press Release (the “DOJ Press Release”) announcing that Kelly Wolfe, President of Regency, Inc., a medical billing company located in Florida, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud through a “pernicious telefraud scheme”[1] involving fraudulent Medicare and CHAMPVA (Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs) claims for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (“DME”) supplies. As a result of Wolfe’s criminal plea, Wolfe could face up to 13 years in federal prison.
In addition to her criminal plea, Wolfe and Regency agreed to a civil settlement of up to $20,332,516 to resolve allegations that Wolfe and her co-conspirators violated the federal False Claims Act and the federal Anti-Kickback Statute by bribing physicians to write prescriptions for DME supplies based upon non-exist
All vets could be eligible for COVID vaccines at VA soon, but supply problems remain the biggest challenge March 9 President Joe Biden, left, visits a COVID-19 vaccination site at the Washington, D.C., VA Medical Center and watches as Dr. Navjit Goraya gives a vaccine to Air Force Col. Margaret Cope on March 8, 2021. White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients, standing center, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough, right, also attended the event. (Patrick Semansky/AP) Congress and Veterans Affairs leaders want to get as many veterans vaccinated against COVID-19 as possible in coming months. How quickly they can do that is still a big question, however.
Boozman Pushes for Expanded COVID-19 Vaccine Access for Veterans & Families — KFFB 106 1 FM — Arkansas Radio — Online Radio–Arkansas Politics–Local News kffb.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kffb.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
U.S. SENATE - Senate Veteransâ Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.), U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-Ark.), Senate Veteransâ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) announced Monday via press release that they will introduce bipartisan legislation to expand COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to veterans and their families under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The Senatorsâ Strengthening and Amplifying Vaccination Efforts to Locally Immunize all Veterans and Every Spouse (SAVE LIVES) Act would allow VA to provide no-cost COVID vaccination services to all veterans, veteran spouses, caregivers and Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) recipients to the extent that such vaccines are available. The legislation also urges the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to adjust VAâs vaccine allocation based on this increased eligibility pool, as much a
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General recognized telehealth s potential while cautioning that steps must be taken to ensure virtual care will not be compromised by fraud.
OIG Principal Deputy Inspector General Christi A. Grimm wrote in a statement on Friday that the quick pivot to telemedicine amidst the COVID-19 pandemic makes oversight, transparency, accountability and program integrity all the more important. OIG is conducting significant oversight work assessing telehealth services during the public health emergency. Once complete, these reviews will provide objective findings and recommendations that can further inform policymakers and other stakeholders considering what telehealth flexibilities should be permanent, wrote Grimm.