Resource Center

Stories

The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast.

These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need.

Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:



Search results for "Medicare fraud" ...

  • Health Care Hustle

    It is one of the biggest and most overlooked factors in the rising cost of health care. According to government estimates, fraud in programs like Medicare and Medicaid costs taxpayers $80 billion a year, with some estimates as high as twice that amount. Doctors, pharmacists, home health care providers, and even patients are hustling the system. Who's paying the tab? You Are.

    Tags: Health care; fraud; Medicare; Medicaid; taxpayers; government authorities; patients

    By Scott Cohn

    CNBC

    2012

  • Home Health Care Fraud

    Exposing how the health care company Maxim Healthcare overbilled their patients, costing the U.S. taxpayers thousands of dollars. Through a whistleblower prosecutors were able to build a case against the firm, resulting in the largest home health care fraud fine ever.

    Tags: health care; fraud; maxim health care; medicare; medicaid; whistleblower; fine; overbilling

    By Scott Cohn

    CNBC (Fort Lee, N.J.)

    2011

  • Secrets of the System

    The Wall Street Journal showed how mining Medicare claims can expose waste and potential fraud in the $500 billion government health program.

    Tags: Medicare; cancer; Medicare abuse; cost; doctors

    By John Carreyrou; Barbara Martinez; Anna Wilde Mathews; Tom McGinty; Mark Schoofs; Maurice Tamman

    Wall Street Journal (New York)

    2010

  • First, Do No Harm

    This investigation focused on lax supervision of doctors-in-training, patient harm and alleged billing fraud at Dallas' premier medical school complex and its primary teaching hospital, which are financed largely by taxpayers. It also examined more broadly questions about medical training, patient care and healthcare fraud at teaching hospitals around the United States.

    Tags: doctor training; patient harm; patient care; Medicare fraud; health care; healthcare; Dallas; medical school; hospital; billing fraud; surgery

    By Maud Beelman; Sue Goetinck Ambrose; Reese Dunklin; Brooks Egerton; Miles Moffeit; Mona Reeder

    Dallas Morning News

    2010

  • 60 Billion Dollar Fraud

    “Medicare Fraud, a crime that steals an estimated $60 billion a year from the American taxpayer”. Medicare stated they were made efforts to crack down on the fraud, but this investigation proved otherwise. This investigation revealed how easy Medicare fraud is and that zero experience can still result in thousands of dollars from Medicare.

    Tags: health care; medical; medicine; officials; federal government; Congress; system; insurance; plan; doctors; hospitals; benefits

    By Steve Kroft; Ira Rosen; Joel Bach; Tadd Lascari; Kate Morris; Chuck Whitlock; Stephen Stock

    CBS News 60 Minutes

    2009

  • Medicare Fraud: The New Cocaine Cowboys

    Medicare Fraud has become one of the largest organized crimes in America. The investigation revealed that it costs “US taxpayers $60 billion in fraudulent Medicare benefits filed every year”. As a result of the first story, many groups moved in to initiate new laws, which would regulate Medicare and who gets the money.

    Tags: 60 Minutes; Department of Health and Human Services; congressional; health care; medical; medicine; schemes; insurance; clinics; system

    By Stephen Stock; Amber Statler-Matthews; Giovani Benitez; Adrienne Roark; Nick Gordillo

    WFOR-TV (Miami)

    2009

  • Home Health Hustler

    This investigation exposed a woman using multiple identities to set up and operate fraudulent home health care businesses and bill the government. Their investigation found Irene Anderson, also known as Iya Edwards, was in the country illegally and ordered deported nearly twenty years previous, yet she was able to establish numerous home health care agencies and collect millions of dollars in government money. She received Medicare payments for patients who would not typically qualify for home care coverage and for patients who received no home health care at all. This story exposed lapses in federal healthcare and legal systems as well as in the state regulatory system home health care providers. The news team found several ex-employees who had reported fraud and abuse to the state, but nothing had been done. In fact, the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services claimed it conducted an investigation and found nothing, clearing the way for Anderson to continue to fraudulently bill the federal government. The investigation triggered an arrest, a federal raid, criminal charges, repayment of millions of tax dollars and promises of legislative change.

    Tags: Texas; home health care; fraud; Medicare fraud; public records

    By Becky Oliver; Donna Ressl; Joe Ellis; Phil Fleming; Michael Tew

    KDFW -TV (Dallas)

    2008

  • Coronary: A True Story of Medicine Gone Awry

    The book "investigated and documented the roles played by physicians, hospital administrators and corporate executives in a ten-year scheme to defraud Medicare and private insurers of tens of millions of dollars by performing unnecessary invasive tests and heart surgery" on patients.

    Tags: medicine; hospitals; health care; health; Medicaid; surgery; fraud; Tenet Healthcare; federal investigation; Redding Medical Center;

    By Stephen Klaidman

    Book

    2007

  • Bogus Billing: Primetime Special

    WPTV "uncovered 100 million dollars in Medicare fraud and met dozens of senior citizens who were in jeopardy of losing their health care benefits."

    Tags: health; health care; Medicare; fraud; senior citizens; benefits; public forum; Ellen Griffith Cohen; Department of Health and Human Services; registration; equipment

    By Shannon Cake; Jim Sitton; Israel Perez Jr.; Dave Peterson

    WPTV-TV (West Palm Beach, Fla.)

    2007

  • Transplant Patients at Risk

    Hundreds of people's lives were put in danger because of how Kaiser Permanente mishandled paper work after opening a kidney transplant center in San Francisco in 2004.

    Tags: surgery; fraud; medicaid; medicare; organ sharing

    By Charles Ornstein; Tracy Weber

    Los Angeles Times

    2006