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MorningMagazine_2024-11-13 Jack Dawson
UC Health agrees to $23 million settlement over false billing
The state’s largest medical provider has reached a $23 million settlement with federal authorities over allegations that it overbilled for emergency care at its hospitals.
According to the Colorado U.S. Attorney’s office, UCHealth hospitals automatically used the most expensive billing codes for some emergency department claims that were submitted to Medicare, TRICARE, and other government health coverage programs for retirees and members of the U.S. military. Those billing incidents occurred between November 2017 and March 2021.
The feds allege that using these billing codes goes against the Fair Claims Act. UC Health denied any wrongdoing.
The improper billing allegations first came from a whistleblower named Timothy Sanders, who used to work as a “revenue recovery auditor” for UCHealth. His job was to resolve complaints from patients who believed they’d been overcharged, and through that job he found an automated system was falsely billing patients. According to The Colorado Sun, Sanders discovered that UCHealth officials knew about this and had no intention of doing anything to mend the situation.
Sanders will receive a portion of the settlement for bringing the issue to the Colorado Attorney General’s Office.
UC Health operates over a dozen hospitals and hundreds of clinics across Colorado, treating roughly 3 million patients a year. The health system brought in more than $8 billion in revenue from treating patients during the recent fiscal year that ended in June, making over $500 million in profit on patient care alone.
Wyatt’s Towing shuts down in Colorado
Wyatt’s Towing seems to have gone out of business.
The company has allegedly been purchased by another local towing operator, Elite Towing. That’s according to The Denver Post.
The Denver-area towing giant fell under investigation by the Colorado attorney general last year in the wake of hundreds of consumer complaints and accusations of unlawful conduct.
While neither towing agency has publicly announced the purchase, the phone number listed for Wyatts now connected to Elite Towing. When The Post called that number, an operator who answered the phone said “Wyatts Towing no longer exists.”
This purchase would follow a trend for the company. Wyatts owners sold off their tow companies in Georgia and Texas back in March.
Back in December, Wyatt’s agreed to pay $1 million as part of a settlement with the Colorado AG’s office. A yearlong investigation found the towing company hauled away thousands of vehicles without proper authorization, illegally kept consumer funds, and engaged in QUOTE “deceptive and unfair business practices” to dissuade drivers from exercising their rights.
The majority of that settlement money was earmarked for consumer returns. Just last week, the AG’s office said Coloradans will receive restitution checks in the near future, for amounts as large as $164.
Trump to remove space command out of Colorado
Congressman from Alabama believes President-elect Donald Trump will move Space Command out of Colorado Springs, according to a new report by the Washington Examiner.
In Trump’s first term, within the last few days of his presidency, he decided to move Space Command to Huntsville, Alabama, but Joe Biden overturned the decision, leaving Space Command at Peterson Space Force Base.
Space Command employs around 1,700 people, according to The Colorado Springs Gazette, and has been fully operational since December 2023.
Representative Mike Rogers of Alabama told FM Talk 106.5 – a commercial station out of Alabama – that Trump will reverse Biden’s decision and begin the process of moving the Command to Huntsville as one of his first moves in office.
Democratic Colorado Senator Michael Bennet said via social media that Colorado is the rightful home to Space Command and will fight to keep it here.
Space Command is separate from the Space Force. It provides weather monitoring, surveillance, satellite communications, and missile warnings – among other support – to military officials.
Over 100 pronghorn killed in Eastern Colorado storm
More than 100 pronghorn were killed in eastern Colorado after last week’s snowstorm drove herds onto the roads.
Pronghorns are small mammals believed to be the fastest animal in the Western Hemisphere, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
The southeast state wildlife office said 52 pronghorns were killed yesterday morning alone, all at once while bunched together on the road after snow.
According to Denver7, pronghorn end up on roadways after snowstorms for a number of reasons. For one, walking on pavement is easier for them than walking in deep snow. Also, they prefer to crawl under fences rather than jump over them when moving from place to place, but heavy snow can block their paths. Some pronghorn may even sleep on roadways, since pavement is warmer than the snow-covered grasslands they usually occupy in hotter months.
CPW urges drivers to slow down if possible, and honk their horn if they spot an animal. They also encourage landowners on the plains to plow their fields, to create space for pronghorn to gather away from the roads.
The Eastern Plans saw the largest snow totals during last week’s snowstorm, skating within a few inches of previous records set in November of 1946. Elbert, Lincoln, and southern Washington counties measured between 30 and 42 inches of snow. Meteorologists told The Denver Post this is quite rare, as these communities usually see less snow than Denver.
