Hospital will pay $10.25 million to resolve false claims allegations; USPSTF draft recommendation on cervical cancer screening; a guide for healthy eating in major U.S. airports – Morning Medical Update

Hospital will pay $10.25 million to resolve false claims allegations

Oroville Hospital, located in Oroville, California, will pay $10.25 million—$9,518,954 to the federal government and $731,046 to the state of California—to resolve allegations that it knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare and Medicaid regarding hospital admissions that were medically unnecessary, a kickback and physician self-referral scheme, which incentivized inpatient admissions by paying financial bonuses to doctors who worked full time at the hospital and were in positions of influence, and the use of erroneous diagnosis codes.

“Improperly billing federal health care programs depletes valuable government resources used to provide medical care to millions of Americans,” Brian M. Boynton, principal deputy assistant attorney general and head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division said in a DOJ release. “We will continue to protect these critical programs by pursuing those who knowingly claim reimbursement to which they are not entitled.”

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issues draft recommendation statement on cervical cancer screening

In a draft recommendation statement, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that clinicians screen women aged 21 to 29 every three years with a Pap test, and they recommend screening women aged 30 to 65 with an HPV test every five years. Alternative options for women aged 30 to 65 include getting a Pap test every three years or getting a combined HPV and Pap test every five years.

“The latest science shows that screening for cervical cancer with an HPV test is the optimal approach for women who are 30 to 65 years old,” John Wong, MD, MACP, vice chair of the Task Force, said in a release. “These women also have the option of getting screened with a Pap test or co-testing. That said, Pap tests continue to be the best option for women in their 20s.”

A guide for healthy eating in major U.S. airports

A Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine/Morning Consult survey of 2,203 U.S. adults found that more than half of U.S. adults have had difficulty finding healthy food in restaurants and kiosks in U.S. airports over the past year, and 71% of frequent travelers would be interested in trying healthy plant-based options while traveling, if they were available. Dietitians from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine used publicly available information to review plant-based dining options at the five busiest U.S. airports, compiling the “2024 Airport Food Review: A Healthful Holiday Travel Guide From the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.”