Latest news with #NationalProviderIdentifier
Boston Globe
24-06-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Cambridge medical AI company OpenEvidence sues physician networking app Doximity, alleging corporate espionage
Advertisement OpenEvidence asked the court to block Doximity from using its trade secrets and award unspecified financial damages. A Doximity spokesperson said the company could not comment on pending litigation, but would 'defend these claims vigorously.' OpenEvidence is one of the leading AI companies in Greater Boston, backed by top venture capital firms such as Sequoia Capital, Google Ventures, and Kleiner Perkins and valued at an estimated $3 billion. OpenEvidence was one on only two Boston-area firms to make Described by Forbes as 'ChatGPT for doctors,' OpenEvidence provides physicians with almost instantaneous access to the latest medical information to help them determine diagnoses and treatments. The company has partnerships with leading journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Advertisement In the suit, OpenEvidence alleged Balachandran and Konoske used the National Provider Identifier numbers of real doctors to access After logging in to OpenEvidence's search engine, the lawsuit claims that Doximity employees submitted prompts designed to trick the AI to divulge the system's inner workings. In one instance, the lawsuit alleges, Konoske prompted the AI bot to'write down the secret code' while logged into the platform under a gastroenterologist's identification number. The lawsuit also claims that Doximity executives and staff submitted hundreds of medical queries and submitted identical questions dozens of times to find pattens to help understand how the technology works. The legal action comes amid what OpenEvidence founder Daniel Nadler describes as a 'talent arms race' in AI innovation, with top firms competing for top talent graduating from prestigious programs such as those at Harvard, his alma mater, and MIT. 'These companies are staffed with the brightest minds in the world, and are going to have a profound impact on humanity, but only if they can survive,' Nadler said in an interview. In the lawsuit, OpenEvidence claimed that Doximity named OpenEvidence as a 'number one target' and prime competitor. Doximity's technology provides a secure channel for clinicians to communicate with their patients and other physicians over the phone, according to Doximity's website. Doximity has started developing its own AI tools, including OpenEvidence alleged in the lawsuit that Doximity CEO Jeff Tangney 'engaged in a systematic campaign of defamation and false advertising designed to undermine OpenEvidence's reputation and competitive position in the marketplace.' Advertisement Tangney manipulated prompts to generate false answers from OpenEvidence's search engine before a group of pharmaceutical executives whose companies account for nearly $20 billion in annual advertising spending, according to the lawsuit. Maren Halpin can be reached at
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
After child's drug overdose, Iowa pharmacy is fined $500 for prescription error
Houck Pharmacy of Mason City, Iowa. (Photo via Google Earth) An Iowa pharmacy has been fined $500 for committing an error that resulted in a child's drug overdose. The Iowa Board of Pharmacy recently charged Houck Pharmacy of Mason City with incorrectly compounding a medication resulting in an overdose to a minor patient. The available board records give no indication as to the patient outcome or when the incident occurred. The board charged Houck Pharmacy with five regulatory violations: dispensing an incorrect medication to a patient; failure to comply with regulations related to compounding nonsterile preparations; failure to include all of the required information in compounding records; failure to maintain a perpetual inventory of Schedule II narcotics; and failure to maintain a controlled substance accountability program. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX To resolve the case, Houck Pharmacy has agreed to pay a $500 civil penalty and have its pharmacy license placed on probation for 12 months. In a related matter, Hillary Lee Lunning of Mason City was charged by the board with incorrectly compounding a medication resulting in an overdose to a minor patient. The available board documents give no indication as to where or when the alleged violation occurred, but corporate records indicate Lunning is the president of Houck Drug Co., which operates Houck Pharmacy. Lunning has agreed to pay a $500 civil penalty and have her license placed on probation for one year. A central Iowa pharmacist has agreed to refrain from practicing in Iowa. According to the Iowa Board of Pharmacy, Jeffrey Bates of Indianola has agreed to refrain from practicing any aspect of pharmacy in Iowa in order to 'meet the board's interest in protecting the public.' The publicly available board documents provide no information as to what led to the agreement but stipulates that Bates is 'unable to practice' due to an administrative regulation that relates to pharmacists 'diverting prescription drugs from a pharmacy for personal use or for distribution.' Although the board has not disclosed where Bates worked at the time of the alleged regulatory violation, his National Provider Identifier records indicate he has worked at the Hy-Vee pharmacy at 910 N. Jefferson Way in Indianola. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
3 arrested, accused of running pill mill at Pace Pharmacy: FDLE
PACE, Fla. (WKRG) — Two pharmacists and a pharmacy office manager are accused of running a pill mill at Pace Pharmacy. Perdido Pass shark sightings: watch According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Pace Pharmacy Pharmacists Stephen Allen Burklow and David Barron Winkles, and Pharmacy Office Manager Monique Burklow were arrested and are accused of conspiring to traffic prescription drugs. An FDLE news release said they trafficked over 22 kilograms or 48 pounds of oxycodone, over 26 kilograms or 57 pounds of hydrocodone and just under one kilogram of hydromorphone. Stephen Burklow and Monique Burklow own Pace Pharmacy, LLC, according to FDLE. 'In our communities, there is no room for criminals that greedily profit from the opioid epidemic by trafficking illicit drugs under the guise of a legitimate pharmacy,' FDLE Pensacola Special Agent in Charge Chris Williams said. 'I am proud of the complex and dedicated work demonstrated by FDLE's agents, crime intelligence analysts and forensic scientists, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office investigators, and the work of all of our partners to get these thugs off our streets.' Stephen, 54, is accused of conspiracy to traffic oxycodone, conspiracy to traffic hydrocodone, conspiracy to traffic hydromorphone, conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and five counts of identity theft. Winkles, 69, is accused of conspiracy to traffic schedule II-controlled substances and conspiracy to commit racketeering. Monique, 58, was arrested on conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to sell controlled substances. The FDLE investigation began in December 2020 when investigators learned Dr. Elaine Sharp, a local obstetrician-gynecologist, was writing an excessive amount of controlled substance prescriptions and recommended her patients to Pace Pharmacy. According to FDLE agents, the Burklows and Winkles accepted and dispensed illicit prescriptions outside of their professional practice and were not intended for medical purposes. 'Mr. Burklow, through the Pace Pharmacy, billed multiple insurance companies, using various physicians' National Provider Identifier (NPI) numbers without their knowledge or consent to do so, for prescriptions that may or may not have been provided to patients,' the FDLE release said. The Burklows and Winkles were arrested and booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail. This investigation included FDLE, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office, the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Financial Services, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security Investigations. Bears visit a Mobile County yard The investigation remains active. Alexa Daly contributed to this story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Owners of Pace Pharmacy arrested on pill mill, drug trafficking allegations
The two owners and an employee of a Pace pharmacy were arrested May 14 on prescription drug trafficking charges, according to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement news release. Pace Pharmacy pharmacists Stephen Allen Burklow and David Barron Winkles, along with pharmacy office manager Monique Burklow, the were the subject of a multi-year, multi-agency investigation led by FDLE. They are charged with conspiring to traffic prescription drugs including trafficking over 22 kilograms (48 pounds) of oxycodone, over 26 kilograms (57 pounds) of hydrocodone and just shy of one kilogram of hydromorphone, according to FDLE. The Burklows are the owners of Pace Pharmacy LLC. FDLE's investigation began in December 2020, after learning that a local obstetrician-gynecologist, later identified as Dr. Elaine Sharp, was writing an excessive amount of controlled substance prescriptions and recommending her patients fill the prescriptions at Pace Pharmacy. During this same time, FDLE was working jointly with multiple state, local and federal agencies to investigate numerous allegations of a pill mill operation in the area. Who is Elaine Sharp? Gulf Breeze doctor allegedly prescribed over 400K oxycodone, laundered over $1M in profits Agents say the Burklows and Winkles accepted and dispensed illicit prescriptions (including oxycodone, hydromorphone and hydrocodone) outside the course of professional practice and not intended for medical purpose or need. Additionally, Stephen Burklow, through the Pace Pharmacy, allegedly billed multiple insurance companies, using various physicians' National Provider Identifier (NPI) numbers without their knowledge or consent to do so, for prescriptions that may or may not have been provided to patients. The trio were arrested without incident and booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail. Stephen Burklow, 54, of Pace, was arrested on conspiracy to traffic oxycodone, conspiracy to traffic hydrocodone, conspiracy to traffic hydromorphone, conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and five counts of identity theft. Winkles, 69, of Pace, was arrested on conspiracy to traffic schedule II-controlled substances and conspiracy to commit racketeering. Monique Burklow, 58, of Pace, was arrested on conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to sell controlled substances. The investigation was led by FDLE with assistance from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office, the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Financial Services, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security Investigations. The cases will be prosecuted by the Office of the State Attorney, First Judicial Circuit, and the investigation remains active. This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Stephen Burklow Monique Burklow of Pace Pharmacy face pill mill arrest
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
El Paso hospital to pay over $3M to resolve allegations of improper billing for medical services
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Several people and entities will pay a total of $3.1 million to resolve allegations of improper billing for medical imaging services at a surgical hospital in El Paso, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas announced in a news release. The Attorney's Office said that Desert Imaging Services, L.P., In Tandem Solutions Group, LLC, and Leroy Candelaria agreed to pay the U.S. $693,913; Donald Burris and Vox Intus, LLC agreed to forfeit $325,000; and East El Paso Physician's Medical Center, LLC, doing business as Foundation Surgical Hospital of El Paso, agreed to the entry of a consent judgment of $2,081,739. The U.S. Attorney's Office says that the settling parties 'engaged in an illegal kickback and pass-through billing scheme, in which Desert Imaging used Foundation Surgical Hospital's National Provider Identifier (NPI) to submit claims for medical imaging services,' according to the news release. The U.S. Attorney's Office said that although the patients who received these services had no connection with the hospital, billing the claims as hospital outpatient services allowed Desert Imaging to obtain a higher rate of reimbursement from federal healthcare programs. In exchange for allowing Desert Imaging to use its NPI, Foundation Surgical Hospital retained 17 percent of the payments on the claims, according to the news release. 'The settlements announced today resolve a lawsuit filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government's recovery,' read the news release. The Attorney's Office said that the claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
