IRE Radio Podcast | A Doctor Named Susy

Think about the last time you got a call, email or direct message from someone who wanted to share a crazy story. You might have thought there was no way what they were telling you could be true. That’s what happened to Brett Kelman, a reporter at the Tennessean. A tip about military health care fraud back in 2015 seemed too wild to be true — until it wasn’t. On this episode, Brett breaks down how he reported the story years after getting the tip and how there’s still more fraud to be uncovered.

You can find the podcast on Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Google Play. If you have a story you think we should feature on the show, drop us a note at web@ire.org. We’d love to hear from you.

RESOURCES

Looking for links to the stories and resources we discussed on this week's podcast? We've collected them for you.

• Read the Tennessean's investigation and Brett’s Twitter thread about the story.
• Read the press release and list of cases from the Department of Justice that details 600 different drug busts across the country.
• Members only: Download the tipsheet “Spotting Medical Fraud in Your Community” by Erin McCormick.
• Members only: Listen to IRE conference audio  “Red Flags: Finding fraud in government programs” by John Sopko and Danielle Brian.

MUSIC

Noe Noe (Blue Dot Sessions) / CC BY-NC 4.0

Cloud Line (Blue Dot Sessions) / CC BY-NC 4.0

Illa Villardo (Blue Dot Sessions) / CC BY-NC 4.0

Heather  (Blue Dot Sessions) / CC BY-NC 4.0

Inamorata (Blue Dot Sessions) / CC BY-NC 4.0

Town Market (Blue Dot Sessions) / CC BY-NC 4.0

CREDITS

Abby Ivory-Ganja reported this episode. IRE Editorial Director Sarah Hutchins edits the podcast. We are recorded in the studios of KBIA at the University of Missouri.