resources from the poor and elderly.
       The November 17, 2006 issue of the New York Times reported on one scheme at UMDNJ where cardiologists were recruited with "no-show" jobs as part-time clinical associate professors. They were paid $150,000 or more yearly “solely for referring their patients to the university hospital.”  The Federal prosecutor, Herbert Stern, reported that the hospital was “feverishly bent on increasing the number of heart procedures at the school…”

     Mr. Stern went on to allege that when these allegations were first raised, the interim President of the University, Bruce Vladek (formerly director of the Medicare and Medicaid program during the Clinton Administration, and who is being paid $525,000 annually to clean up the mess at UMDNJ)  had actually attempted to cover up the cardiology kickback scheme.  From the New Jersey Star Ledger on 11/12/06, “…(the report) set off a maelstrom of activity by Vladek and others to discredit its conclusions.”

        Six million dollars was allocated to just 18 cardiologists by UMDNJ to ensure the success of this big business venture.   On 11/17/2006, it was reported  that over a 4-year period the University took in nearly $36,000,000 in illegal Medicare and Medicaid payments for 2,733 cardiac procedures on hundreds of patients.   The unanswered question is: how many of these procedures were really necessary and were patients exposed to unnecessary risks so that the Hospital could make more money?  How many died, as they did at the Tenet Redding California Hospital, where the Federal inspector found 167 deaths among Medicare patients who had up to 50% unnecessary cardiac

 

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