Mario DeSanctis, director of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Tomah, Wisconsin, said his performance bonus was “warranted and justified” even though the facility was being investigated over runaway painkiller prescriptions and patient overdoses.
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 for Veterans, Opiates, Returning Home to Battle
VA inspector general finally releases report on Wisconsin hospital
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ inspector general’s office has publicly released its scathing report documenting runaway painkiller prescriptions and abuse of administrative authority at the VA hospital in Tomah, Wisconsin, nearly a year after it closed the case.
Posted inHealth Care, Opiates, Returning Home to Battle
Investigator visit to Wisconsin veterans hospital feels like déjà vu
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs investigated problems at the Tomah VA Medical Center for two years but never released an official report of its findings, leaving some to wonder whether the agency is capable of policing itself.
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Posted inHealth Care, Worked Over
Surrogacy south of the border
Business is booming for the surrogacy industry in Mexico. Reveal reporter Sandra Bartlett discovers what can go wrong when one of the biggest players in the baby game closes up shop and goes bankrupt.
Posted inHealth Care, Opiates, Returning Home to Battle
VA to send specialists to investigate problems at Wisconsin hospital
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said it will conduct an internal investigation after a CIR report documented opiate overprescription and other issues at the Tomah VA hospital.
Posted inHealth Care, Opiates, Returning Home to Battle
Opiates handed out like candy to ‘doped-up’ veterans at Wisconsin VA
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.”
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.