Feds Announce CRMC Settlement by KATE COOK U.S
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TECH WOMEN DEFEAT TENNESSEE STATE. D1 Herald-CitizenSUNDAY,Herald-Citizen FEBRUARY 16, 2020 | COOKEVILLE, TENNESSEE 118TH YEAR | NO. 33 $1.50 Feds announce CRMC settlement BY KATE COOK U.S. Department of Justice ness decision. resolves allegations by the ciated with its wholly-owned HERALD-CITIZEN claims the hospital improper- “Any time you go to court United States and State of subsidiary physician prac- ly entered into contracts with there’s risk,” Hill said. “We Tennessee that from January tice, Tennessee Heart, the Federal authorities an- unnamed cardiologists in felt very strongly there was 2012 through December 2017, DOJ said. nounced Cookeville Regional 2012. CRMC Chief Operating no wrongdoing, but it carries CRMC submitted false claims According to the DOJ, a Medical Center has agreed to Offi cer Paul Korth said the such a risk that when there’s for payment to the Medicare whistleblower lawsuit started settle a false claims suit. hospital strongly denies the an off er of a settlement you program and to TennCare as the ball rolling. The suit was The hospital’s board allegations. see if you can work it out to a result of violations of the fi led against CRMC by a for- approved the $4.1 million Korth and CRMC Chief avoid the risk.” Federal Anti-Kickback Stat- mer employee, who brought settlement in December, as Legal Counsel Luke Hill said The Department of Justice ute and the Stark Law. These claims under the whis- reported in the Herald-Citi- no one was happy with the announced the settlement violations related to fi nan- tleblower portion of the False zen. According to a statement decision to pay a settlement, Friday. According to the cial arrangements between from CRMC at that time, the but that it was a good busi- DOJ statment, the settlement CRMC and physicians asso- SEE CRMC, PAGE A2 Putnam BOE sets new enrollment zones BY JIM HERRIN address. HERALD-CITIZEN “The elementary school to middle school School zone boundary ‘feeder patterns’ cur- lines for the 11 elemen- rently in place have tary schools in Putnam not been changed,” he County have been said. “However, middle adjusted for the 2020-21 and high school zone school year. boundaries will change Attendance Supervi- slightly due to the ad- sor Chris Pierce said justments to the elemen- letters went home with tary zone lines.” students Friday, ex- Transportation rout- plaining the changes. ing for the 2020-2021 “The school board ap- school year and beyond proved new zone bound- will follow the updated aries, in part, to ease zones. If students are capacity related issues “out-of-zone” as a result at several elementary of the 2020-2021 zone schools, including Al- change and ride a bus to good Elementary, Jere school, Pierce said they Whitson Elementary, will be transported only Prescott South Ele- to their zoned school. mentary and Sycamore He said the school sys- Elementary,” he said. tem’s Priority Zoning He said the goals of Policy for K-12 students the zone line changes will be used for cur- are to maximize avail- rent and future student able classroom space enrollments. Under the and help balance en- policy, there are four rollments at each school designations of student to approximately 90 enrollment types at percent. each school: Pierce said the zoning Priority 1: Students policy is based upon a JIM HERRIN | HERALD-CITIZEN student’s residential SEE ZONES, PAGE A2 Attendance Supervisor Chris Pierce talks to school board members about enrollment zones. Reported Overdoses Drugs feeding crime problem BY BEN WHEELER CPD OFFICIALS SAY ROUGHLY 90 them. Not all of them are bad HERALD-CITIZEN people. They’re struggling with PERCENT OF ALL CRIME THEY SEE IS TIED TO addiction.” Despite a decrease in medical THE DRUG MARKET. “Things are way better in professionals writing prescrip- general. Reporting amongst the tions for opioids, Cookeville aff ord to continue the habit to pharmacies help, but I don’t see Police Department offi cers are turn to much more aff ordable an overall end to heroin and saying the local drug market options, such as heroin, fentanyl fentanyl.” has changed. and carfentanil. With the continued struggle Sources with CPD say the “You’re seeing a lot of older to fi ght drugs that are on the drop in prescription pills has people turn to the streets. It streets, CPD sources say it’s only shifted those who have always starts the same. They tough to deal with separating become addicted to turning to had a wreck or an injury and the natural empathy you may street-level drug dealers to fi nd doctors were giving them high have to working in the drug much more potentially deadly doses of pain pills,” one source world. Not Fatal Fatal drugs to sate their addiction. said. “Some people are genuine- “You become hardened to it. Source: Cookeville Police Department The high cost of opioids, ly dealing with chronic pain. You keep an open mind, but it’s DON FOY | HERALD-CITIZEN roughly selling for $1 per milli- They’re getting a bad name gram, is causing those who can’t from the people who are abusing SEE DRUGS, PAGE A2 Lawmakers look at two bills aimed at insulin prices BY PAIGE STANAGE insulin at no more than $100. “Insulin is about 100 years Snow Storm. that Pharmacy Benefi t Man- HERALD-CITIZEN House Bill 1832 requires the old, so it’s nothing new to the “We want to fi nd a balance agers, or PBMs, caused the Department of Health and the market” he said. “It’s also between business and the price hikes. Tennessee lawmakers have Division of Consumer Aff airs pretty cheap to make, about consumer,” he said. “We don’t PBMs are companies that introduced bills that propose to study and investigate the $5 or $6 per vial, I believe. But want to hurt businesses, but manage prescription drug a price cap for insulin. pricing of prescription insu- the problem is that the cost of we also want to protect the benefi ts on behalf of health House Bill 1931 caps the lin drugs and report fi ndings it has skyrocketed in the past consumers when necessary. insurers, Medicare Part D total amount that a health in- no later than Nov. 1, 2020. fi ve years or so.” These bills are basically drug plans, large employers, surance carrier can require a Representative Ryan Wil- Williams compared the guardrails to do just that.” and other payers, accord- covered patient with diabetes liams gave his thoughts about insulin price hike to price Williams said a lot of peo- to pay for a 30-day supply of the newly proposed bills. gouging on goods in the 2015 ple he’s talked with believe SEE CAP, PAGE A2 herald-citizen.com OBITUARIES Page A8, A9, A10 Charles Verble, Algood Dale Delaney, Baxter Ed Stewart, Cookeville Richard Herron, Cookeville Jeff Smith, Livingston Sam Vaughn, Brentwood Neva Jo Packingham, Mt. Juliet Junior Dishman, Livingston Edward Dailey, Livingston Braxton Meadows, Blooming- Billy Medley, Baxter Lavonia Melvin, Hilham Lee Nora Henry, Cookeville Mollie Rogers, Cookeville ton Springs A2 HERALD-CITIZEN FROM PAGE 1 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2020 herald-citizen.com 0LOTTERY0 CRMC: Hospital announced Saturday settlement in December 2019 Cash 3 Evening 0-2-9, Lucky Sum: 11 FROM PAGE A1 would be paid from Midday 1-5-9, Lucky reserves and wouldn’t Sum: 15 Claims Act, which affect patient care Morning 6-5-3, Lucky allows private citizens or operations going Sum: 14 with knowledge of forward. He stressed false claims to bring the suit did not involve Cash 4 civil suits on behalf of patients or patient Evening 0-9-4-2, Lucky the government and to billing. Sum: 15 share in any recovery. The suit has affected Midday 0-3-7-9, Lucky The whistleblower will how CRMC enters into Sum: 19 Morning 1-3-7-7, Lucky receive $779,000 as his contracts with doctors. Sum: 18 share of the settlement. Those agreements are In December, Korth now reviewed by a Cash4Life said the settlement third party. 14-30-37-39-47, Cash Ball: 2 Donations for women 0READERREADER SSERVICESERVICES0 Address: The Upper Cumberland Women’s Club delivered Valentine’s baskets 1300 Neal St. to the Stephens Center in Cookeville to bless mothers in the region. Cookeville, TN 38501 Those pictured from left to right are; Daniela Dorantes, Family Support - Stephens Center, Angie Griff in, UCWC Volunteer, Andrea Burckhard, Mailing Address: New York Life, Deborah Goodwin, Family Resource Specialist - Stephens Center, Sherri Fristoe, Young Living Essential Oils, Lynn P.O. Box 2729 Scuderi, US Bank. Cookeville TN 38502 Phone: 931-526-9715 Fax: 931-526-1209 Cave and Karst Resources News [email protected] Sports Symposium at TTU Feb. 29 [email protected] Advertising The Tennessee Tech resources. Tennessee ture current scientifi c [email protected] HERALD-CITIZEN FILE Water Center is host- caves contain heritage research and highlight Living Insulin prices have gone up approximately ing a Cave and Karst archeological sites, activities by citizen [email protected] 400% in the past 10 years, according to some Resources Symposium support signifi cant caving groups who Circulation medical off icials. Feb. 29 from 9 a.m. to 4 groundwater supplies support cave science [email protected] p.m. in Bell Hall Audi- that are a source of during their explora- Business News torium, Room 282, on drinking water, and tions. [email protected] CAP: Lawmakers talk insulin the campus of Tennes- maintain habitat for Dr. Jeff Schaeff er, Church News FROM PAGE A1 contract directly with see Tech.