Planned Parenthood’s Houston-based affiliate clarified Tuesday that it settled for $4.3 million, three times the $1.4 million that Abbott reported a week ago.
The Houston Chronicle. has reported that Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast settled a whistle-blower lawsuit that alleged the Houston nonprofit engaged in fraudulent Medicaid billing for $4.3 million – nearly $3 million more than was announced last week by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.
The say that, in finalizing the settlement, which includes total state and federal recovery, the agency claimed the allegations that it submitted more than $30 million in fraudulent bills between 2003 and 2009 were “baseless.”
The lawsuit was brought by a former medical assistant in agency’s Lufkin clinic. The lawsuit alleged “defendant’s billing policies routinely instructed clinic staff to enter billing codes for certain services, regardless of whether patients’ charts recorded that such service was actually provided.”
Last week, Texas Attorney General’s, in announcing a $1.4 million settlement, said its investigation showed the agency charged for “services that were never actually rendered, not medically necessary and were not covered by the Medicaid program.”
THEN IN DELAWARE: Planned Parenthood of Del. Under Investigation
A Planned Parenthood facility in Wilmington is under fire following new accusations from three former employees.
Melody Meanor
Former manager Melody Meanor and former nurses Joyce Vasikonis and Jayne Mitchell-Werbrich spoke at a legislative hearing on Monday, claiming the Planned Parenthood clinic located on Shipley Street in Wilmington is unprofessional, under-trained and unsafe.
“Women are exposed to potential infection of any kind you can imagine that can be passed from one patient to another,” Vasikonis said.
Joyce Vasikonis and Jayne Mitchell-Werbrich
During their testimony, the women claimed the privacy of patients was jeopardized, that they were asked to falsify employee records, that medical assistants were poorly trained and that certain women in need of certain medications after abortions often didn’t receive them. They also claimed that the facility failed to inform up to 200 women that they tested positive for gonorrhea and chlamydia, according to Delaware Online.
All three nurses insist that their motivation for testifying is not political. In fact, they say that they are pro-choice and believe in the national mission of Planned Parenthood. They also believe however that the Wilmington clinic is putting the lives of women at risk.
OSHA previously issued several citations against the clinic and the State Health Department found violations during an inspection. However, the Department allowed the clinic to stay open, satisfied with its attempts to make things right. The former employees however, don’t believe the state is looking close enough.
“I believe that Planned Parenthood should be fined and closed until all dangers are addressed,” Werbrich said. “Again, I’m going to state, I am pro-choice.”
Former Planned Parenthood of Delaware employee , Jayne Mitchell-Werbrich, worked as a registered nurse at Planned Parenthood in 2012. She calls them “startling similarities between Planned Parenthood and Gosnell.
“Dr. Gosnell was notorious in the Philadelphia/ Wilmington area – he ran a filthy clinic and was convicted of murder after performing late term abortions where babies were born alive and killed. I was not aware of such horrifying happenings at Planned Parenthood of Delaware The similarity between the case of Kermit Gosnell and Planned Parenthood of Delaware is that they both operated extremely hazardous abortion clinics, and that their respective states refused to close them despite the repeated warnings. I believe that Planned Parenthood should be fined and closed until all dangers are addressed.”
More on Kermit Gosnell here
IN NEW YORK : PLANNED PARENTHOOD TO CLOSE A CLINIC
Planned Parenthood Mohawk Hudson has announced that they will close Ticonderoga Health Center in August ! The abortion giant closed its Granville and Herkimer health centers on July 3.
Planned Parenthood in Wisconsin says a new admitting privileges law would force its Grand Chute clinic to close because providers there lack admitting privileges at local hospitals. What a shame !!!
Saynsumthn's Blog 