Fox News A new federal report shows the government paid more than $47 billion in questionable Medicare claims. by A/P WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government paid more than $47 billion in questionable Medicare claims including medical treatment showing little relation to a patient's condition, wasting taxpayer dollars at a rate nearly three times the previous year. Excerpts of a new federal report, obtained by The Associated Press, show a dramatic increase in improper payments in the $440 billion... Read Full Story

 Hello everyone, I'm Kathleen     For those who are not familiar with this blog site, welcome!         When people find out I'm a forensic nurse, I often get the same response: Oh, CSI!  Well ... no, not exactly. While I've heard the show certainly has some entertaining moments, in real life, cases aren't solved in an hour. Nor are they solved by only a handful of people managing every single aspect of the case.               Forensics is the application of science to the law and i... Read Full Story

Harvard Kennedy School/Ash Institute       Webinar: Can You Predict Lethal Intimate Partner Violence? November 12, 3p-5p November 12, 2009: 3 – 5 pm (EST) ~This webinar takes place online. Registration required, and free of charge.~ Of all women murdered in the United States, 40-50 percent is murdered by their intimate partners and 45 percent occur when the woman is trying to leave her abusive partner. Women threatened with a gun are 20 times more likely to be murdered. ... Read Full Story

Harvard Kennedy School/Ash Institute       Webinar: Can You Predict Lethal Intimate Partner Violence? November 12, 3p-5p November 12, 2009: 3 – 5 pm (EST) ~This webinar takes place online. Registration required, and free of charge.~ Of all women murdered in the United States, 40-50 percent is murdered by their intimate partners and 45 percent occur when the woman is trying to leave her abusive partner. Women threatened with a gun are 20 times more likely to be murdered. ... Read Full Story

Sentencing Law & Policy    The title of this post is the headline of this interesting new editorial in the Boston Globe.  Here is how it begins and ends: Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone wants state lawmakers to give juries more say in whether some sex offenders should be civilly committed after completing their criminal sentences.  It’s a reasonable proposal that could help gain broader community acceptance of verdicts in an explosive area of the law. In Massachusetts, convi... Read Full Story

Sentencing Law & Policy    The title of this post is the headline of this interesting new editorial in the Boston Globe.  Here is how it begins and ends: Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone wants state lawmakers to give juries more say in whether some sex offenders should be civilly committed after completing their criminal sentences.  It’s a reasonable proposal that could help gain broader community acceptance of verdicts in an explosive area of the law. In Massachusetts, convi... Read Full Story

Medical News Today Article Date: 27 Oct 2009 - 3:00 PDT  "Medicare "provides a rich and steady income stream for criminals who are constantly finding new ways to steal a sizable chunk of the half trillion dollars that are paid out each year in Medicare benefits," 60 Minutes reports. "In fact, Medicare fraud - estimated now to total about $60 billion a year - has become one of, if not the most profitable, crimes in America." Medicare fraud leaves little evidence: an FBI agent in South Florida ... Read Full Story

Medical News Today Article Date: 27 Oct 2009 - 3:00 PDT  "Medicare "provides a rich and steady income stream for criminals who are constantly finding new ways to steal a sizable chunk of the half trillion dollars that are paid out each year in Medicare benefits," 60 Minutes reports. "In fact, Medicare fraud - estimated now to total about $60 billion a year - has become one of, if not the most profitable, crimes in America." Medicare fraud leaves little evidence: an FBI agent in South Florida ... Read Full Story

 Hello everyone, I'm Kathleen     For those who are not familiar with this blog site, welcome!         When people find out I'm a forensic nurse, I often get the same response: Oh, CSI!  Well ... no, not exactly. While I've heard the show certainly has some entertaining moments, in real life, cases aren't solved in an hour. Nor are they solved by only a handful of people managing every single aspect of the case.               Forensics is the application of science to the law and i... Read Full Story

FraudBlawg October 6, 2009  Report Shows How Taxpayers Subsidize Dealers, Pushers & Addicts    " Nearly 7% of all Medicaid costs (more than $20 billion per year) is allocated to pay for prescription drugs, more than $63 million of which may have gone to feed the addictions of recreational drug users last year, according to a Government Accountabily Office (GAO) report publiched last month. The report examines a practice among drug abusers known as “doctor shoppping... Read Full Story