Maternal mortality; brain implant research; $30M in phony claims for COVID-19 tests – Morning Medical Update

Latest data on maternal deaths

Earlier this month, researchers published a study that found fears may be exaggerated about a troubling uptick in maternal deaths. But another review has a worse result about maternal mortality. “We’re going in the wrong direction” for deaths related to pregnancies, said one researcher involved in the study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. An accompanying news release also has details.

Questions on testing

Neuralink was first tested in monkeys and other animals, and now is testing a brain chip that allows paralyzed patients to control a computer using their thoughts. But a congressman has questions about how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration dealt with possible animal testing violations. Reuters news agency has more.

That’s a lot of COVID-19 test kits

A Florida man pleaded guilty to charges for his role in a scheme to defraud Medicare by billing for over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits. Fraudulent claims tallied up to $30 million, but Medicare only paid approximately $15 million. Robert M. Clark, 29, of Pompano Beach, Florida, could face up to five years in prison, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The feds’ announcement did not include details on how much of that money was recovered.