Podiatrist let unlicensed salesman perform surgery, then billed Medicare; Novo Nordisk partners with OpenAI to accelerate drug development; a better predictor of hypertension risk – Morning Medical Update

California podiatrist let unlicensed salesman perform surgery, then billed Medicare

Both men were sentenced to 63 months in prison for a $3.2 million health care fraud consipiracy.

A California podiatrist and a pharmaceutical sales representative have each been sentenced to more than five years in prison for allowing the unlicensed salesman to perform surgical procedures — including using a scalpel to debride wounds on patients with recent foot amputations — while billing Medicare, Medicaid and Medi-Cal as if licensed physicians had done the work. Felipe Ruiz, D.P.M., 52, who owned West Coast Podiatry (WCP) in California's Central Valley, purchased skin grafts from Jose Aguirre, 53, and permitted him to apply them and perform other procedures on patients unsupervised between 2021 and 2024. Some patients believed Aguirre was a physician, calling him "Dr. Gabe."

In one instance, WCP submitted $150,000 in Medicare claims for procedures performed while the physician of record was out of the country on vacation. Staff and third-party auditors raised concerns that were repeatedly ignored. In addition to their prison terms, Ruiz faces a $12.1 million forfeiture judgment and Aguirre a $2.6 million judgment, with nine properties also ordered forfeited.

Novo Nordisk partners with OpenAI to accelerate drug development

The deal covers research, manufacturing and commercial operations, with full integration planned by the end of 2026.

Novo Nordisk, the Danish drugmaker behind Ozempic and Wegovy, has announced a partnership with OpenAI, the artificial intelligence (AI) company behind ChatGPT, to deploy AI across its business, from drug discovery and manufacturing to supply chain and commercial operations, as they work to close the gap with Eli Lilly in the obesity drug market. Pilot programs will begin across research, manufacturing and commercial operations, with full integration planned by year's end; financial terms were not disclosed.

"The aim here is not replacing our scientists. It's about supercharging them," said Novo Nordisk CEO Mike Doustdar, who added the deal was intended to lift productivity and slow future hiring rather than cut existing staff. Reuters has more.

Waist-to-height ratio beats BMI at predicting hypertension risk

The finding held across ethnic backgrounds and multiple survey cycles in a study of more than 19,000 Americans.

A simple measurement, waist circumference-to-height ratio (WHtR), predicted hypertension risk more accurately than body mass index (BMI) in a large, multiracial U.S. population study, according to research published in the Journal of Nutrition. Using data from 19,124 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), researchers found that people with excess fat mass as measured by waist-to-height ratio were 161% more likely to be hypertensive than those with normal fat mass — while BMI-assessed obesity showed no statistically significant association with established hypertension across all participants. The authors attribute BMI's limitations to its inability to distinguish fat from muscle mass, which may distort its relationship with blood pressure.