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Daily Rounds: Hospital Medicare Probe; Frightening Health Ads; Knee Implants Boom; Treating Loved Ones

Hospital's Medicare billing examines (The Boston Globe) -  "Federal investigators have subpoenaed six years of records from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center as part of an investigation into whether the hospital overbilled Medicare by admitting patients for short stays who could have been treated less expensively as outpatients. Beth Israel Deaconess received a subpoena from the office of the inspector general of the US Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of Justice, in 2010, the hospital disclosed in financial statements over the last six months." (The Boston Globe)

NYC defends health ads that frighten the viewer (The New York Times) - "The ads are the latest installment in a campaign by the Bloomberg administration to jolt New Yorkers out of bad health habits; other ads, which have run in the transit system and on local broadcast outlets and the Internet, have depicted smokers who lost fingertips or their ability to speak normally. The city’s approach — in one recent ad it sharpened its message by editing off a model’s leg — has drawn some criticism for its negativity." (The New York Times)

Knee implant maker quickens its stride (The Boston Herald) - "The orthopedic implant company ConforMIS last week said it will expand its facilities in Massachusetts after pulling in $89 million in funding, one of the largest financing rounds by a private health care company in 2011. A privately held Burlington company that more than doubled its revenues last year, ConforMIS plans to expand its manufacturing this year and add to its workforce of approximately 200, but the exact location has yet to be finalized, a spokeswoman said." (The Boston Herald)

The limits of treating loved ones (amednews.com) - "A 2011 survey of more than 1,000 physicians in North Carolina found that nearly half had treated themselves and that 85% had treated an immediate family member, significant other or close friend. "We've dealt with this extensively for years," said Scott Kirby, MD, medical director of the North Carolina Medical Board. "It is frequently an issue that comes to the attention of the board, because physicians provide care to family members and themselves that is generally below standards. They cut corners. They don't do things they would normally do in treating a patient."" (amednews.com)

This program aired on February 6, 2012. The audio for this program is not available.

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