A panel has set a March 12 deadline for federal health officials to report steps they are taking to prevent fraud after a Texas hospital chain allegedly fleeced an economic stimulus program for $18 million.
The charges follow a report by The Dallas Morning News exposing potential mismanagement of stimulus funds by the hospitals and the federal agency that awards them.
Joe White of Cameron, Texas, rose from maintenance man to manager of facilities for Dr. Tariq Mahmood's now-collapsed Texas hospital chain.
The suit accuses Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano of failing to properly monitor or investigate Dr. Christopher Duntsch.
Dallas area hospitals drew the most fines from Texas state health enforcers last year. The most frequent bullseye: Parkland Memorial Hospital.
Texas is again sinking to the bottom of the barrel on a national health care measure.
Authorities say he directed staff at his Central Texas Hospital in Cameron to change diagnostic codes on billing claims from other facilities.
The Texas Medical Board found that Christopher Daniel Duntsch violated care standards in the treatment of six patients, including two who died.
A government shutdown of sorts persists in East Texas.
Texas' monthly appropriation of nearly $1 million to pay for such reviews - the second largest in the country next to California's - remains frozen until Congress passes a new funding bill.
The hospital says it should have removed him from duty even though its police found no criminal wrongdoing. (Day 2 of the series, "Chronic Condition.")
Commissioner John Wiley Price said he was concerned that the general obligation bonds would be repaid by taxpayers.
A government report details sanitation problems in the kitchen and delays in radiology tests; the hospital has vowed to improve.
The proposed change was one of several recommended in a report on improving the way the county facility does business.
As a first step, the staff is undergoing mandatory training under the hospital’s new code of conduct and ethics.
The decision rescinds a funding-termination order pending against the Dallas County facility since Aug. 9, 2011.
The Dallas County hospital has begun training more than 9,000 employees under a new code of conduct and ethics.
Measures would boost the frequency of inspections and allow the state to suspend operations of a problem hospital without a hearing.
The hospital was part of a small chain operated by Dr. Tariq Mahmood, who has been accused of billing fraud.
The team consists of two inspectors instead of the 17 who showed up at the Dallas County facility unannounced last month.
Also, the government inspection of the county hospital focuses on safety problems found last week.
Inspectors will determine whether changes will allow the Dallas County public facility to retain government funding.
The board’s order tracks and expands upon an investigation by The Dallas Morning News of Dr. Alireza Atef-Zafarmand.
State authorities have suspended the medical license of a Dallas-area doctor who they say sexually attacked or otherwise mistreated at least 10 women.
More than $400 million in annual government funding is at stake for the county’s public hospital.
Sen. Jane Nelson's bill requires resident doctors and other trainees to wear ID badges clearly displaying their names and experience levels.
The hospital will pay the U.S. Justice Department after allegations of false billings and unnecessary treatments.
A whistle-blowing doctor had said that for years, the hospital submitted Medicare and Medicaid billings for rehab consultations that patients’ primary care physicians never ordered.
Officials expressed gratitude for the workload employees shouldered as the hospital tries to restore its credibility.
The latest report says the changes range from better hand-washing practices to shorter waits for patient care.
As of late February, the county facility had satisfied all but 24 of the 499 mandated safety reforms.
The Dallas County public hospital relies heavily on the medical school's doctors, and breakdowns under that relationship have factored in Parkland's safety crisis.
The Legislature is a step closer to adding some basic protections for patients at hospitals that operate training programs and psychiatric facilities.
Officials of the Dallas public hospital call the move “appropriate”; they stand to lose more than $400 million in U.S. funding if it doesn’t pass the test.
Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, is proposing a law that aims to clear up a common source of confusion for patients at Texas teaching hospitals such as Parkland Memorial Hospital.
A government regulator says the hospital is not ready for an inspection, but “no one’s saying they can’t do this.”
Compared with its Texas peers, Parkland’s total net assets ranked it first in the state. (From day 5 of the series, "Chronic Condition.")
Cash reserves of more than $1 billion were built up, in part, by skimping on staff and building upkeep. (Day 5 of the series, "Chronic Condition.")
Renaissance Hospital Terrell faces the loss of its state license, has lost its federal funding, and owes thousands in back taxes.
In dealing with medical schools, hospitals have sought more control over patient care; experts say transparency is vital to avoid problems. (From day 4 of the series, "Chronic Condition.")
A major factor behind Parkland Memorial’s patient care crisis is the hidden power struggle between the hospital and its medical school partner, UT Southwestern Medical Center. (Day 4 of the series, "Chronic Condition.")
Seeking to comply with federal regulations, Parkland enters a $1.1 million deal with the privately owned Dallas hospital.
The public hospital denied any attempt to “suppress or overlook” sexual misconduct against patients.
Parkland staff involved in psych ER case
The public hospital’s police force has made no arrests in 25 cases, even when the suspects were fired. (Day 1 of the series, "Chronic Condition.")
Over the next 12 weeks, Parkland must prove to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that it’s a danger-free hospital as part of a rare safety oversight agreement or face the loss of about $400 million in funding.
The hospital won’t say if Holland & Knight will play a role in its efforts to comply with a federal oversight program.
The hospital says it has implemented nearly all required improvements as an April deadline approaches.
The hospital may face additional state penalties for a lapse that occurred, records show, after a key employee quit.
The department also has been the focus of a U.S. Justice Department investigation into allegations of billing fraud
The action involves the deaths of two patients at the Dallas County hospital this summer.
Ninety-one percent of measures are complete, and the rest are on track to be finished in the next two months.
The Leapfrog Group gave 4 facilities a D and one an F. An official at UT Southwestern Medical Center disputed the findings.
A UT Southwestern doctor plans to leave a chairmanship at the same time settlement discussions intensify in a fraud case.
The county hospital has relied almost exclusively on physicians from UT Southwestern Medical Center for nearly 70 years.
A surgeon says UT Southwestern demoted him for reporting to his boss that resident doctors weren’t properly supervised.
The settlement agreement reveals “egregious deficiencies,” including a sexual abuse allegation against a nurse.
Dr. Larry Gentilello, who sued over his demotion after reporting inadequate faculty supervision of UT Southwestern residents at Parkland Memorial Hosiptal, says bringing the problems to light was worthwhile even if his suits to recoup back pay from the school don't succeed.
The medical school has “sovereign immunity” from the surgeon’s retaliation claims.
Parkland typically delivers over 30 babies a day — and recently handled twice that number in a 24-hour stretch.
Vacancies have forced staff members to work extra hours, causing some employees to quit, especially nurses.
Former Tenet Healthcare executive Robert L. "Bob" Smith is replacing Dr. Thomas Royer, who wasn’t present for Smith’s introduction and later declined to comment.
The hospital’s governing board is expected to name former Tenet executive Bob Smith to the post at a meeting today.
The Dallas County hospital's patient-safety crisis and massive staff turnover are fueling an intense new hiring push.
Hospital officials omitted details in a recent summary; federal monitors say more management changes “may be necessary.”
The hospital is remodeling the existing psych ER, the scene of numerous cases of abuse and neglect during recent years, beginning Thursday to boost capacity and improve care, an internal newsletter said.
Federal regulators want to see a significant improvement by September and a “sense of urgency” in remedying threats to patient safety.
Patients and caregivers were in the dark for nearly two hours on July 15 after a storm knocked out power and an emergency generator failed.
Dr. John Jay Shannon’s departure caps a complete turnover of the top executive team at the county’s public hospital.
A revised medical examiner’s report says injections of antipsychotic drugs cannot be ruled out as a factor.
Korn/Ferry International, which won the one-year contract over 10 other firms, will likely be paid about $300,000 for the search.
John Dragovits to become president and chief operating officer of a health care information technology company.
Federal monitors warn of ongoing problems in patient screening and resident supervision.
A dozen other hospitals in the D-FW area rated a C after an analysis by the Leapfrog Group.
The hospital’s governing board agreed Thursday to keep Dr. Thomas Royer after a lobbying campaign by Dallas powerbrokers.
The hospital has made progress on most federal mandates, its CEO says, and will hire temporary doctors to plug gaps.
Officials point to inadequate screening of patients, who were being sent to other areas of the hospital for treatment.
Weak internal controls show why patient-safety hazards have been pervasive, monitors also find.
The suit alleges, among other things, that "hundreds of thousands" of claims were falsely submitted for rehabilitation consultations "that were not reimbursable because they were never requested by the patients' primary care physician."
A social worker says she resisted orders to break safety rules and was fired for it.
U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade has sealed at least six records related to Kim Akinwande's suit since the case was filed in March.
To keep federal funding, the hospital must implement big changes. A county official says, “People are working like hell.”
James Dunn said he kept the device in his arm for days after his discharge from the hospital to show it to Dallas County commissioners.
Standard & Poor’s says Parkland retains its AAA rating, but that could change if patient safety problems force a cut in Medicare or Medicaid payments.
They blame declining patient revenue and the growing cost of making government-ordered improvements.
More than 400 workers left the hospital between November and mid-March, about 30 percent more than expected.
Dr. Manuel Rivera-Alsina, who was disciplined over a baby’s death, will continue to practice at the hospital.
Kimala "Kim" Akinwande, a black woman who was director of medical staff services, says she was fired in January because two members of her department allegedly felt she was "threatening and disrespectful."
Several agencies are facing state sanctions over treatment failures or have closed, while federal authorities have linked them to a massive Medicare fraud scheme.
The Dallas County public hospital's board of managers has scheduled a special, 15-minute meeting to elect a replacement for Dr. Lauren McDonald, who stepped down two weeks ago.
Dr. David Lakey, Texas’ health commissioner, said it’s a rare step for him to become involved with an individual hospital, but Parkland’s serious situation merits his close attention.
The job has become much more demanding over the past year after the Dallas County public hospital failed a series of government inspections.
County and hospital officials say any shutdown is unlikely, but they have discussed contingency plans should the hospital lose its federal funding.
Dr. Winfred Parnell must give up his board of trustees seat at Medical City Dallas before he can join Parkland's seven-member governing board.
Parkland’s board and monitors endorsed Ronald Laxton, who starts as chief implementation officer Wednesday and will report directly to them.
Of all the sex-abuse suspects whose names Parkland Memorial Hospital has disclosed, only one is known to have lost his caregiver’s license because of the allegations. And he got it back after two months. (From day 2 of the series, "Chronic Condition.")
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