DOJ sues Louisiana hospital operator over unnecessary care, referral practices; heart disease, stroke drive more than one-quarter of U.S. deaths; red light therapy vs. CTE – Morning Medical Update

DOJ sues hospital operator over unnecessary care, referral allegations

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a False Claims Act complaint against Priority Hospital Group (PHG), a Louisiana-based hospital management company, three long-term care hospitals it manages and a physician, alleging medically unnecessary care and improper patient referrals designed to boost Medicare payments. Federal prosecutors allege the defendants kept patients hospitalized longer than clinically necessary to increase reimbursement and, at one facility, used medical directorship agreements and other remuneration to induce referrals in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute and Stark Law. The case — which was initially filed under whistleblower provisions by a former employee of one of the hospitals named in the lawsuit — demonstrates continued federal emphasis on combating health care fraud under the False Claims Act.

Heart disease, stroke still account for more than a quarter of U.S. deaths

Heart disease and stroke remained the leading causes of death in the United States in 2023, responsible for more than one in four deaths, according to new statistics from the American Heart Association. While deaths from cardiovascular disease declined from pandemic-era peaks, the association reported roughly 916,000 deaths last year — exceeding deaths from cancer and accidental injuries combined. The report, published in Circulation, points to rising rates of obesity, diabetes and poorly controlled high blood pressure as key factors slowing progress, even as treatments and preventive therapies continue to improve. The New York Times has more.

Red light therapy vs. CTE

An experimental near-infrared “red light” therapy may help protect the brain from inflammation associated with repetitive head impacts, according to a small new from University of Utah Health. Concern over long-term brain injury has intensified in recent years as more than 100 former NFL players have been posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition linked to repeated head trauma and associated with memory loss, confusion and dementia. In a preliminary trial of 26 collegiate football players published in the Journal of Neurotrauma, athletes who used near-infrared red light therapy three times a week during the season showed no increase in MRI markers of brain inflammation, while players receiving a placebo did.

“My first reaction was, ‘There’s no way this can be real,’” said Hannah Lindsey, Ph.D., the study’s first author, in a Utah Health news release. “That’s how striking it was.”

Researchers cautioned that larger randomized trials are needed but said the findings suggest a potential preventive approach for athletes, service members and others exposed to repeated head impacts.