Skip to main content
Subscribe
  • Login
  • My Account
  • Logout
  • Register For Free
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Digital Health
    • Transformation
    • ESG
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Blogs
    • AI
    • Deals
    • Layoff Tracker
    • HLTH 2024
    • Sponsored Content: Vital Signs Blog
  • Opinion
    • Letters
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • 40 Under 40
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Innovators Awards
    • Diversity Leaders
    • Leading Women
    • Best in Business Awards
    • The 2030 Playbook Conference
    • Innovations in Patient Experience
    • Leading Women Conference & Awards Luncheon
    • Leadership Summit
    • Workforce Summit
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Diversity Leaders Gala
    • - Looking Ahead to 2025
    • - Financial Growth
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Looking Ahead to 2026
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Sponsored Video Series - Checking In with Dan Peres
  • Data & Insights
    • Data & Insights Home
    • Hospital Financials
    • Staffing & Compensation
    • Quality & Safety
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Skilled Nursing Facilities
    • Data Archive
    • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
    • Surveys
    • Data Points
  • Newsletters
  • MORE+
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
    • Sponsored Content
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Insurance
April 11, 2015 12:00 AM

Doc linked to hepatitis C outbreak pleads guilty to Medicare fraud, and other news

Lisa Schencker
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print

    The physician owner of a Nevada clinic linked to a deadly hepatitis C outbreak pleaded guilty in federal court April 2 to Medicare fraud.

    Dr. Dipak Desai, who owned the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada, admitted to healthcare fraud and conspiring with others to systematically overcharge Medicare, Medicaid and other private health insurers for anesthesia billing as part of a plea agreement. Desai's practice significantly exaggerated the amount of time certified registered nurse anesthetists spent with patients, court documents show.

    As part of the agreement, Desai will have to pay restitution of $2.2 million and may serve whatever sentence is imposed concurrently with his sentence from a previous conviction.

    A jury convicted Desai in state court in 2013 of second-degree murder, among dozens of other criminal counts, related to a hepatitis C outbreak. A state investigation found that unsafe injection practices related to the administration of anesthesia—such as re-using syringes and using single dose vials of anesthesia on multiple patients—might have exposed patients to other patients' blood. He is scheduled to be sentenced July 9 in Reno, Nev.

    Professors urge new hearing in St. Luke's antitrust case

    Seventeen law professors from across the country are urging a federal appeals court to rehear the antitrust case against Idaho's St. Luke's Health System.

    The professors filed a friend-of-the-court brief last week with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals asking it to grant St. Luke's request for a rehearing before a full panel of judges. Earlier this year, a three-judge panel of the court decided against St. Luke's, saying its acquisition of Saltzer Medical Group in Nampa, Idaho, was anti-competitive.

    “Antitrust law should properly recognize efficiencies and allow defendants to demonstrate efficiencies,” according to the brief. It also states that the professors, along with the International Center of Law and Economics, are concerned the earlier decision “will prevent or undo beneficial mergers and thereby have adverse effects on consumer welfare.”

    But David Ettinger, a lawyer for St. Luke's rival St. Alphonsus Health System, said the new brief repeats arguments already made and rejected by the 9th Circuit and misstates many of the factual conclusions made by the courts.

    The case has gained attention because it's the first one the courts have handled involving a hospital system's practice acquisition challenged by the Federal Trade Commission.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    UnitedHealth-group-screen-0425
    UnitedHealth Group to cut Medicare drug plan commissions
    410170216.jpg
    UnitedHealth to give Hemsley $60M award in return as CEO
    Most Popular
    1
    'Legendary' Hemsley takes over at UnitedHealth amid rough seas
    2
    Big retail tried to disrupt healthcare—who is making a dent?
    3
    These are the regulations the AHA wants RFK Jr. to scrap
    4
    Downside risk, upside payment highlight new CMS innovation agenda
    5
    Medicaid cuts bill clears key House committee
    Sponsored Content
    Daily Finance Newsletter: Sign up to receive daily news and data that has a direct impact on the business and financing of healthcare.
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Help Center
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2025. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Digital Health
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • ESG
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Blogs
      • AI
      • Deals
      • Layoff Tracker
      • HLTH 2024
      • Sponsored Content: Vital Signs Blog
    • Opinion
      • Letters
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • 40 Under 40
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Innovators Awards
        • Diversity Leaders
        • Leading Women
        • Best in Business Awards
      • Conferences
        • The 2030 Playbook Conference
        • Innovations in Patient Experience
        • Leading Women Conference & Awards Luncheon
        • Leadership Summit
        • Workforce Summit
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Diversity Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Looking Ahead to 2025
        • - Financial Growth
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Looking Ahead to 2026
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
      • Sponsored Video Series - Checking In with Dan Peres
    • Data & Insights
      • Data & Insights Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Skilled Nursing Facilities
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • Newsletters
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing
      • Sponsored Content