inside the industry

Kaiser Agrees to $1.8 Million Settlement with DOJ

False claims act case blamed on Medicare billing errors
January 6, 2010 -- Kaiser Permanente of the Northwest has agreed to pay the U.S. government $1.8 million to settle False Claims Act liability in connection with Medicare billing errors between 2000 and 2004. Read More >>

Oregon Health Forum Closes Doors

The announcement makes The Lund Report the sole provider of dedicated Oregon healthcare news
December 3, 2009 -- After two decades as a leading healthcare watchdog group in the state, the Oregon Health Forum has closed its doors. Read More >>

An Insurance Bureaucrat Speaks Out

Dr. Don Thieman’s been inside the health insurance industry and he’s not remaining silent
December 3, 2009 -- A former medical director at Regence Bluecross Blueshield of Oregon says people have nothing to fear. By and large those in government have our interests at heart much more than people in the insurance industry. Read More >>

Drug-Makers Pay-for-Delay Schemes Cost Consumers

Paying competitors to delay generic drug production keeps people paying higher prices
December 3, 2009 -- Over the last few years, drug-makers have embraced a startlingly simple tactic for fending off competition from generic brands: paying them off. Read More >>

Insurance Division Fines Regence

400 employees face layoffs by the state’s largest insurer
November 12, 2009 -- Regence BlueCross BlueShield officials are in a world of hurt these days. Not only will the state’s largest health insurer lose 103,000 members to Providence Health Plan in January, but the Oregon Insurance Division has fined the company $5,000. Read More >>

Primary Care Shortage Reaches Critical Levels

Oregon physicians identify no one easy solution
November 4, 2009 -- The dwindling shortage of primary care physicians threatens to haunt the Oregon Health Plan when 115,000 newcomers enter the fold early next year. Read More >>

Columbia County Appeals Hospital Denial

After the state denied a certificate of need for a 12-bed hospital, the Columbia Health District has asked for a hearing
November 4, 2009 -- The Columbia Health District Board of Directors voted unanimously Oct. 28 to ask the state for an informal hearing on the proposed denial of the application to build a small 12-bed hospital in St. Helens. Read More >>

PacificSource Scores on Kids Connect Program

Starting Jan. 1, kids whose families earn between 200-300 percent of the federal poverty level will be eligible
October 27, 2009 -- When state officials announced the health insurers that will participate in the Kids Connect program, there were no surprises. PacificSource, as anticipated, was the only insurer vying for the statewide contract. Read More >>

Oregon Insurance Execs Dismiss Public Option

CEOs pin their hopes on value-based health plans that debut next year
October 27, 2009 -- The public option debated in Congress won’t gain any traction with Oregon’s insurance executives who keep comparing the proposal to traditional Medicare, claiming it’s a broken system in need of serious repair. Read More >>

State Denies 12-bed Hospital in St. Helens

Columbia Health District reacts, calling the decision devastating after so many years of hard work
October 23, 2009 -- In a followup to a story we posted last week about a proposed new 12-bed hospital in St. Helens, the state has issued a deciding 'no.' Read More >>
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