Clinic owner convicted for $52M Medicare fraud; therapy donkeys; CDC warns of serious infection risks tied to cosmetic surgery tourism – Morning Medical Update

Brooklyn clinic owner convicted in $52M Medicare fraud and Suboxone scheme

A federal jury found Tony Brown-Arkah guilty of running a drug diversion operation out of his Brooklyn substance abuse clinic, where dealers bought patients' prescriptions outside.

Tony Brown-Arkah, 78, owner of American Medical Centers in Brooklyn, was convicted by a federal jury in the Eastern District of New York on charges of health care fraud, illegal narcotics distribution and kickback conspiracy totaling more than $52 million in false claims to Medicare and Medicaid. Prosecutors say Brown-Arkah ran his supposed substance abuse treatment clinic as cover for a drug diversion operation, allowing dealers to purchase patients' Suboxone prescriptions outside the building. Prescriptions were signed by a Florida nurse practitioner who never saw or spoke with the patients, and patients were subjected to medically unnecessary testing to generate fraudulent billing. Brown-Arkah also paid cash kickbacks to patients for referrals and received thousands monthly from a lab in exchange for steering business its way, concealing the arrangement through a shell company and a sham contract. He faces up to 10 years in prison on each fraud and narcotics count; sentencing has not been scheduled.

Therapy donkeys are helping psychiatric patients heal

A French hospital unit pairs patients with donkeys.

A psychiatric hospital unit outside Paris has been using therapy donkeys to help patients with anxiety, depression, autism, schizophrenia and other conditions since 2016, and the program has grown into what its founders say is a unique model within France's public health system. At the Ville-Evrard hospital in Neuilly-sur-Marne, patients are paired with one of five donkeys — Nono, Pitou, Oscar, Manolo or Malraux — for sessions designed to improve emotional regulation, communication, social interaction and self-esteem. The program, launched by psychiatric nurse Ermelinda Hadey and her husband François, gained official status as a healthcare unit in 2022, enabling it to employ three full-time nurses. It has since expanded to include guinea pigs, goats, chickens and other animals, with smaller animals brought directly to hospital rooms for patients who cannot leave.

"It does not replace a doctor or a medical prescription, but it can help patients regain confidence and a sense of self-worth," Ermelinda Hadey said. The couple says more rigorous scientific evaluation is needed before animal therapy can be formally recognized by the broader psychiatric community. The Associated Press has more.

CDC warns of serious infection risks tied to cosmetic surgery tourism

A new study found post-surgical bacterial infections — and at least four deaths — among Americans who traveled domestically and abroad for cosmetic procedures over a decade.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is flagging serious health risks associated with traveling for cosmetic procedures, citing a new study in its Emerging Infectious Diseases journal that reviewed more than 2,100 reports of U.S. residents who sought care, including liposuction and breast augmentation, at domestic and international surgery centers between 2014 and 2024.

Of 21 reports involving roughly 145 patients who experienced adverse outcomes, 20 included post-surgical infections, among them 12 suspected or confirmed bacterial infections and four involved patient deaths. Investigators in two cases — one domestic and one international — found significant lapses in environmental cleaning, hand hygiene, personal protective equipment use, and surgical equipment reprocessing.

"More and more people are getting medical procedures outside the United States, but there are risks," said lead author Kiara McNamara, DNP, BSN, AGPCNP-BC, a CDC nurse epidemiologist. The agency called for stronger surveillance, closer coordination between health care providers and public health agencies, and better patient education to catch complications early. Reuters has more.