Doctors at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Tomah, Wisconsin, hand out so many narcotic painkillers that some veterans have taken to calling the place “Candy Land.”
Health Care
Flaws in the U.S. health care system, federal health programs and with individual medical providers and patients
Posted inHealth Care, Health Care Scams
Medical firm profited on pain with knockoff spine surgery hardware
A California company accused of counterfeiting screws for spinal surgery went broke in 2013. But by then, it had sold millions of dollars in medical hardware to a nationwide network of surgeons.
Posted inHealth Care, Prisons
California bans coerced sterilization of female inmates
Gov. Jerry Brown signs a bill that protects prisoners in county jails, state prisons and other detention centers, after medical abuses were uncovered.
Posted inHealth Care, Prisons
Bill to prevent sterilization abuse of female inmates heads to governor
California Senate unanimously passes measure to ban sterilizations for birth control purposes in all state prisons, county jails and other detention centers.
Posted inHealth Care, Health Care Scams
State audit confirms weak oversight, potential fraud at rehab clinics
The California State Auditor’s office discovered $94 million in potentially fraudulent payments and more than 300 services approved for dead people in a searing review of the state’s drug rehabilitation program for the poor.
Posted inHealth Care, Health Care Scams
California doctors used fake hardware in spine surgeries, lawsuits say
Doctors in Southern California implanted counterfeit screws and rods into the backs of thousands of injured workers, with some physicians accepting kickbacks, according to lawsuits filed throughout the state.
Posted inCriminal Justice, Health Care, Prisons
Secrecy behind Missouri’s execution drugs
Missouri is one of several states that are buying their drugs for executions in secret.
Posted inCriminal Justice, Education, Health Care, Returning Home to Battle
Pilot 3: The arsenic in our drinking water
We dive into the U.S. Coast Guard’s accident problem; arsenic in your water; the secrecy surrounding lethal injection drugs; and the high cost of a GI Bill degree.
Posted inCriminal Justice, Health Care, Law Enforcement, Prisons
Female prison inmates sterilized illegally, California audit confirms
California Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, is one of the legislators who requested the state audit of female inmate sterilizations.Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press UPDATE, June 19, 2014: This story updates throughout with more details about the audit. The California state auditor today blasted federal and state oversight of sterilization surgeries for female prison inmates, finding numerous illegal surgeries […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opiates, Returning Home to Battle
VA hasn’t followed own rules on narcotic prescriptions, audit says
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ failure to follow its own rules governing the prescription of addictive narcotic painkillers has contributed to overdoses and deaths, according to the agency’s inspector general.