Monday, March 13, 2006

At UMDNJ "The Rules of the Game Have Changed"

As auditors continue to investigate the finances of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), new problems continue to surface.

We have posted extensively at the troubles at UMDNJ, which now is operating under a federal deferred prosecution agreement with the supervision of a federal monitor (most recently here).

The indefatigable reporters at the Newark Star-Ledger have revealed yet another problem, possiblly massive over-billing by UMDNJ of Medicare. " While auditors are still trying to determine the extent of the problem, the amount involved far exceeds the $4.9million in fraudulent billing outlined in a separate federal criminal complaint against UMDNJ in December." " The new billing problems were uncovered last week, as part of an examination of the annual cost reports submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, according to two officials with direct knowledge of the investigation." "At issue were costs associated with the university's mental health division, University Behavioral HealthCare, and whether UMDNJ-University Hospital padded those costs with its own administrative expenses. If the federal cost reports were inflated, the hospital would be reimbursed at a higher rate than it is legally entitled to receive. The sources said the hospital may have submitted reports that funneled an additional $50million to $70million in unwarranted reimbursements."

Meanwhile, the Dean of one of UMDNJ's two medical schools, Dr Harold Paz, has resigned. His new job will be Senior Vice President for Health Affairs, Dean of the Medical School, and CEO of Hershey Medical Center at Pennsylvania State University. Thus both of UMDNJ's medical schools for the moment will be operating with acting deans.

Furthermore, UMDNJ's new interim president, Bruce C. Vladek, has come on board while putting all his constituents on notice that it will no longer be business as usual at UMDNJ:


People are all on notice that there is no tenure in the management structure of this organization. I feel empowered to restructure the administrative staff of this organization, subject to consultation and approval of the board, however I feel is necessary.
The rules of the game in this place have changed, and they haven't been changed by us. Even though the state is our lifeblood, we cannot, as a matter now of law, engage in some of the kinds of behaviors that have existed in the past. Some of the kinds of things that have (been) reported -- that may have become standard operating procedure in the past -- we cannot do anymore.

It sounds like he has the right idea, but will have a lot of work to do.

But he also noted,

As far as I know, the very, very real problems here are largely isolated from the educational, clinical and research activities of the university.

I do beg to differ somewhat with this. I am sure that UMDNJ has many dedicated professionals and faculty who have been working hard to keep the clinical and academic missions on track. Yet I am not sure how "isolated" they have been from the problems. It must have been demoralizing to work under the previous UMDNJ administration, which has now been revealed as scandal-ridden. I can only hope that their morale is improving now. Hopefully, the new leaders of UMDNJ will be worthy of their trust.

The case of UMDNJ should be a wake-up call for those who thought that business as usual was just a fine way to run the health care system. However, although this case, like that of UCI, has gotten plenty of local attention, it seems not to have been noticed outside of its region, nor in medical, health care, and health policy journals. As far as I can tell, the only place to see these cases juxtaposed is here on Health Care Renewal.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Friday, February 3rd, 2006
Send Me Your Health Care Horror Stories... an appeal from Michael Moore

Friends,

How would you like to be in my next movie? I know you've probably heard I'm making a documentary about the health care industry (but the HMOs don't know this, so don't tell them — they think I'm making a romantic comedy).

If you've followed my work over the years, you know that I keep a pretty low profile while I'm making my movies. I don't give interviews, I don't go on TV and I don't defrost my refrigerator. I do keep my website updated on a daily basis (there's been something like 4,000,000 visitors just this week alone) and the rest of the time I'm... well, I can't tell you what I'm doing, but you can pretty much guess. It gets harder and harder sneaking into corporate headquarters, but I've found that just dying my hair black and wearing a skort really helps.

Back to my invitation to be in my movie. Have you ever found yourself getting ready to file for bankruptcy because you can't pay your kid's hospital bill, and then you say to yourself, "Boy, I sure would like to be in Michael Moore's health care movie!"?

Or, after being turned down for the third time by your HMO for an operation they should be paying for, do you ever think to yourself, "Now THIS travesty should be in that 'Sicko' movie!"?

Or maybe you've just been told that your father is going to have to just, well, die because he can't afford the drugs he needs to get better – and it's then that you say, "Damn, what did I do with Michael Moore's home number?!"

Ok, here's your chance. As you can imagine, we've got the goods on these bastards. All we need now is to put a few of you in the movie and let the world see what the greatest country ever in the history of the universe does to its own people, simply because they have the misfortune of getting sick. Because getting sick, unless you are rich, is a crime – a crime for which you must pay, sometimes with your own life.

About four hundred years from now, historians will look back at us like we were some sort of barbarians, but for now we're just the laughing stock of the Western world.

So, if you'd like me to know what you've been through with your insurance company, or what it's been like to have no insurance at all, or how the hospitals and doctors wouldn't treat you (or if they did, how they sent you into poverty trying to pay their crazy bills) ...if you have been abused in any way by this sick, greedy, grubby system and it has caused you or your loved ones great sorrow and pain, let me know.

Send me a short, factual account of what has happened to you – and what IS happening to you right now if you have been unable to get the health care you need. Send it to michael@michaelmoore.com. I will read every single one of them (even if I can't respond to or help everyone, I will be able to bring to light a few of your stories).

Thank you in advance for sharing them with me and trusting me to try and do something about a very corrupt system that simply has to go.

Oh, and if you happen to work for an HMO or a pharmaceutical company or a profit-making hospital and you have simply seen too much abuse of your fellow human beings and can't take it any longer – and you would like the truth to be told – please write me at michael@michaelmoore.com. I will protect your privacy and I will tell the world what you are unable to tell. I am looking for a few heroes with a conscience. I know you are out there.

Thank you, all of you, for your help and your continued support through the years. I promise you that with "Sicko" we will do our best to give you not only a great movie, but a chance to bring down this evil empire, once and for all.

In the meantime, stay well. I hear fruits and vegetables help.

Yours,
Michael Moore
michael@michaelmoore.com
www.michaelmoore.com