| Submit your comments on this article |
| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| Dallas-area hospice nurses told to overdose patients to speed death |
| 2016-03-31 |
| [SeeBS] DALLAS-- The owner of a Dallas-area hospice ordered nurses to increase drug dosages for patients to speed their deaths and maximize profits, according to an FBI affidavit. A copy of the affidavit for a search warrant obtained by KXAS-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth alleges Brad Harris ordered higher dosages for at least four patients at Novus Health Services in Frisco. It's unclear whether any deaths resulted from overdoses of drugs like morphine. Harris has not been charged. The FBI on Wednesday declined to say whether an investigation is ongoing. The warrant refers to an FBI raid on the hospice in September. It alleges Harris sent text messages to workers such as, "You need to make this patient go bye-bye." On another occasion, Harris told administrators during a lunch meeting that he wanted to "find patients who would die within 24 hours." In at least one instance, an employee refused to follow orders to increase a dosage, the warrant said. The document explains that federal reimbursements can diminish the longer a patient receives care. A provider eventually can be forced to return federal payments. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #8 "If you like your Doctor, you can keep your doctor. They may have a different: name, location, gender, person, company, deductible, coverage, and waiting lists for visits, but TOTES the same" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2016-03-31 22:51 |
| #7 "As Dems promised, there would be no death panels." And we all know what their promises are worth, gorb. |
| Posted by: Barbara 2016-03-31 22:32 |
| #6 The document explains that federal reimbursements can diminish the longer a patient receives care. A provider eventually can be forced to return federal payments. As Dems promised, there would be no death panels. |
| Posted by: gorb 2016-03-31 21:55 |
| #5 Multiple benefits to targeting 'short-timers' for costs. - quick insurer payout for meds - higher reimbursement for claims - if the charges are contested, the insurer is a litigation partner as they generally must approve the treatment - caregivers for terminal patients are unlikely to contest painkillers or be financially responsible for the administration - administrative direction to staff is outside the controls of AMA |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2016-03-31 16:49 |
| #4 So this is more driven by government policy? It sounds like if you do a really good job and your patient lives a lot longer, you get punished for it. Amazing. |
| Posted by: Thor Lover of the Welsh8882 2016-03-31 13:21 |
| #3 Coming to a single payer plan near you. (can you say 'dropped from the appointment list' VA?) |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2016-03-31 10:58 |
| #2 More CMS supported fraud than homicide. Getting more juice in the kickers drives up the reimbursement for allowable treatment costs. When multi-facility providers can push their average consumption up the amount of allowable reimbursement also increases during the 3-5 year formative period for this component of the ACA model. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2016-03-31 10:34 |
| #1 The document explains that federal reimbursements can diminish the longer a patient receives care. A provider eventually can be forced to return federal payments. The other dynamic at play is; the longer a patient receives care, the more care and personal attention he or she requires from staff. Unspoken 'Actuarial Life Tables' in hospices are a fact. Possibly an over-generalization, but those still able to respond to care, get care. The unresponsive, not so much. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2016-03-31 09:38 |