- Major Medicare Fraud Bust Targets 'Arthritis Kits'
- Dietary Supplements Recalled
- Perfume Sickens 144 People
- Pollution Closed Many U.S. Beaches In 2008: Report
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:
Major Medicare Fraud Bust Targets 'Arthritis Kits'
Doctors were among the more than 30 suspects arrested in a major Medicare fraud bust by more than 200 federal agents in New York, Louisiana, Boston and Houston.
Some of the businesses targeted in the raids gave patients "arthritis kits" that included heating pads and expensive knee and shoulder braces, the Associated Press reported. Even though the kits were unnecessary and many patients never received them, clinic owners billed Medicare between $3,000 and $4,000 for each kit.
Another scam targeted by federal authorities involved false billing for liquid food for patients who can't eat solid food. Clinic owners involved in the fraud never distributed the liquid food products to patients and, in some cases, billed Medicare for patients who were dead when they supposedly received the products, the AP reported.
This is the third major Medicare fraud action since May, when the U.S. Health and Human Services Department added millions of dollars and dozens of agents to deal with a problem that costs the country billions of dollars a year.
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Dietary Supplements Recalled
The dietary supplements STEAM and S-DROL are being recalled because they may contain ingredients not listed on the label, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The products are distributed by Nutracoastal Trading of Freeport, N.Y.
The FDA said STEAM may contain an ingredient found in erectile dysfunction drugs and S-DROL may contain a steroid. Both ingredients could interact with nitrates found in some prescription medicines and possibly cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure, the Associated Press reported.
In addition, the products may cause side effects such as flushing and headaches. There haven't been any reports of health problems suffered by people using the products.
Included in the recall are 60-tablet bottles of S-DROL, lot No. 810481, and five-capsule bottles of STEAM, lot No. 80214. They were sold in retail stores across the United States, the AP reported.
Consumers can call 866-803-2434 to get more information.
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Perfume Sickens 144 People
Almost 150 people were sickened and 34 hospitalized after a worker sprayed perfume at bank call center in Fort Worth, Texas.
After receiving reports of dizziness and shortness of breath at the Bank of America call center, fire officials thought that carbon monoxide or another type of toxic fumes might be to blame, the Associated Press reported.
While 110 people were treated at the scene, 34 others were taken to hospital, including 12 who were transported by ambulance.
Investigators said they don't know what type of perfume was sprayed.
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Pollution Closed Many U.S. Beaches In 2008: Report
Storm water and sewage runoff are the main reasons why there were 20,341 beach closing days reported in the United States in 2008, the fourth year in a row that the number has been higher than 20,000, says a Natural Resources Defense Council report released Wednesday.
Delaware, New Hampshire and Virginia had the best beach water quality while Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois had the worst, USA Today reported.
"The waters along the Great Lakes coastline appear to the dirtiest, while the waters along the Southeast and DelMarVa (Delaware, New Hampshire and Virginia) coasts are relatively cleaner," the NRDC report said.
Rain is the main reason for polluted beaches because it carries pollutants from dirty storm water and overflowing sewage into streams and rivers, which eventually empty into oceans and lakes, Nancy Stoner, the council's water program co-director, told USA Today.
Many Great Lakes states had a wetter-than-normal summer in 2008, while Mid-Atlantic states were unusually dry, according to the National Climatic Data Center.
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