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Aktuell im WWW => Hinweise auf Neues/Interessantes/Wichtiges im WWW => Topic started by: ama on November 27, 2008, 10:00:07 PM
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Quackbooster nominated for HHS Secretary.
Tom Daschle, who is President-Elect Barack Obama's nominee for
Secretary of Health and Human Services, provided strong support to
unscientific practitioners while serving in the U.S. Congress from
1979-2003. During several sessions, he was a prime supporter of
"access to treatment" legislation intended to weaken state licensing
boards. A 1997 version, for example, would have given individuals the
right to have nearly any desired treatment and permitted
practitioners to provide any treatment that would not pose an
"unreasonable risk."
http://www.quackwatch.org/07PoliticalActivities/amta.html Although
couched as efforts to preserve patient freedom, such bills would
thwart regulation of physicians who engage in quack practices such as
chelation therapy. Daschle also spearheaded the passage of laws that
increased Medicare payments to chiropractors and forced the U.S.
Veterans Administration to add chiropractic services.
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Autism clinic criticized.
Autism Watch has posted a detailed investigative report about CARE
Clinics, of Austin, Texas, and its "nonprofit" twin, the Center for
Autistic Spectrum Disorders (CASD). CARE 's diagnostic evaluations,
which cost at least $9,000 per patient, feature genetic tests that
supposedly serve as a guide to "detoxification" and "correction of
biomedical imbalances." However, the recommended tests and treatments
are unsubstantiated and lack a plausible rationale. [Barrett S. Be
wary of CARE Clinics and the Center for Autistic Spectrum Disorders
(CASD). Autism Watch, Nov 25, 2008]
http://www.autism-watch.org/reports/casd/overview.shtml CARE's
medical director, Jesus Caquias, M.D., has been disciplined twice by
the Texas Board of Medicine.
http://www.casewatch.org/board/med/caquias/2007_order.shtml
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Newspaper ombudsman raps ad for "free" discount card.
Ted Vaden, Public Editor of the Raleigh, North Carolina News &
Observer, has criticized the newspaper's advertising department for
accepting a full-page ad headlined, "Cut off set for free Universal
Health Card" that was published on November 18th. [Vaden T. 'Free
health card' is confusing. News & Observer, Nov 23, 2008]
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/columns/story/1306065.html The
ad, which has run in other newspapers, claims that the Universal
Health Card offers "affordable care provided by 561,000 doctors,
dentists, pharmacists, and hospitals."
http://www.universalhealthcard.com/ Vaden noted:
**The card was not free, because there was an up-front $18
"registration fee" and, after 30 days, the cost would be $49 per
month.
**Although a company telephone operator said that the University of
North Carolina Hospital system participated, a UNC official said it
did not and that the card sponsors had been notified of that fact.
**Several people have complained to the North Carolina Attorney
General's office that they were falsely told that their doctors
participated in the program.
Several other investigators have described similar misrepresentations:
**Powell J. BBB looking into newspaper healthcare plan advertisement,
WAFF 48 News, Oct 10, 2008
http://www.waff.com/global/story.asp?s=8988579&ClientType=Printable
**Universal Health Card -- Money for Nothing. Daughter Number Three
Blog, Nov 19, 2008
http://daughternumberthree.blogspot.com/2008/11/universal-health-card-money-for-nothing.html
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Chiropractor's license suspended for not reporting fraud.
David E. Fellerman, D.C., of Kingston, Pennsylvania, has had his
license suspended for at least one year, during which he must write
an article that would serve as a warning to other chiropractors.
Fellerman got into trouble while working with Robert G. Bittenbender,
D.C., who submitted bogus insurance claims between 1999 and 2003 and
failed to file federal income tax returns from 2002 through 2004.
Bittenbender's indictment states that he billed Pennsylvania Blue
Cross BlueShield for more than $130,000 for services he falsely
claimed to have given to a family member and several employees and
another $70,000 for services Fellerman allegedly provided to him and
his then minor child. http://www.casewatch.org/doj/bittenbender.pdf
Fellerman cooperated with the prosecutors, pled guilty to misprision
of felony, and was ordered to serve two years of probation and to pay
restitution of $69,588. http://www.casewatch.org/doj/fellerman.pdf
Bittenbender was convicted in a jury trial of conspiracy to commit
mail fraud, mail fraud, and tax evasion, for which he was ordered to
pay $311,494.50 in restitution and sentenced to 46 months in prison
plus three years of supervised release. Bittenbender, who graduated
from Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic in 1995, defaulted on
his student loan and owes $29,770.
http://defaulteddocs.dhhs.gov/Identity.asp?RealNumber=96He is
appealing his guilty verdict.
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