Christopher Vehovec pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud & receiving kickbacks

TRENTON, New Jersey—A Florida man admitted his role in a durable medical equipment (DME) health care fraud scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger.

Christopher Vehovec of Miami Beach, Florida, pleaded guilty to information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud before U.S. District Judge Michael Shipp in Trenton federal court.

The systems aim to enhance the homecare recruitment industry

PORT WASHINGTON, New York—CareConnect, a homecare artificial intelligence and software services company, announced the launch of Home Care Insights, the first in a series of new websites that provide health care organizations with recruitment, engagement and retention insights. Home Care Insights aims to optimize the workforce and deliver care, the company said.

In a set of recommendations, group says more foreign-born workers are needed to relieve the caregiver shortage

WASHINGTON—LeadingAge, a national association of nonprofit and mission-driven aging services providers, released "The Immigration Imperative: Recommendations for Strengthening the Aging Services Workforce." The Immigration Imperative is a new white paper that explores how the country’s immigration system can be reformed, addresses the need to increase foreign-born workers in long-term service and supports (LTSS) care teams and aims to expand access to care.

Company said it will use new funds to propel growth

NEW YORK—Vesta Healthcare, a virtual care provider in the homecare industry, announced it has closed a $65 million “Series C” funding round with new debt financing.

The round was led by RA Capital Management, with participation from Oak HC/FT, Chrysalis Ventures and others. The debt financing was provided by Horizon Technology Finance Corporation.

Partnership will add HealthPivots' data system to Netsmart's platform

OVERLAND PARK, Kansas—Netsmart announced its acquisition of HealthPivots, an Oregon-based market intelligence company for the post-acute care continuum. The company said the combination of Netsmart’s care platform and HealthPivots’ “DataLab” aims to provide consolidated data, advanced analytics and a platform to enhance the post-acute care provider transition to value-based care (VBC).

Eric Pauls will serve as the vice president of sales in North America

GOLETA, California—Inogen, Inc., a medical technology company offering in-home respiratory products, announced the appointment of Eric Pauls as vice president of sales in North America. Pauls previously worked with RQM+ as chief customer officer.

WPS & CMS inform individuals on the data breach & give instructions for moving forward

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS), a CMS contractor, notified nearly one million individuals whose protected health information or other personally identifiable information (PII) may have been compromised in connection with Medicare administrative services provided by WPS. 

The couple who owned the home health company are sentenced to prison in $5.5 million kickback scheme & tax evasion

DETROIT—A married Macomb County couple, Noli and Isabel Tcruz, were sentenced to six years in prison and 38 months in prison, respectively, on health care fraud kickback conspiracy, tax evasion and fraud charges. U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison announced this sentencing following the sentencings earlier this year of two doctors who pled guilty to receiving kickbacks and bribes from the Tcruzes.

Stockholders are urged to vote for Masimo’s director nominees on Thursday, Sept. 19

IRVINE, California—Masimo Corporation, a noninvasive monitoring technologies and audio products company, mailed a letter to stockholders regarding its upcoming annual meeting of stockholders, which will be held on Thursday, Sept. 19. The letter highlighted the importance of stockholders’ votes in determining the future of the company and the value of their investment, the company said.

The Pennsylvania-based in-home care agency denied minimum wage & overtime

LEBANON, Pennsylvania—The U.S. Department of Labor obtained a summary judgment in federal court, in an effort to recover more than $1 million in back wages and liquidated damages. The back wages and damages are being recovered for 193 employees of a Pennsylvania homecare agency and its owner, which failed to pay workers the required minimum and overtime wages.

The acquisition of several organizations extends Help at Home’s commitment to homecare & community-based services in Georgia

CHICAGO—Help at Home, a national provider of in-home personal care services, announced the acquisition of several Georgia-based homecare organizations: Care By Your Side, One Care Health and AAMedcare. The acquisition aims to further demonstrate the company's commitment to providing care in Georgia.

The integration between WellSky advanced analytics solutions & a third-party electronic health record creates new opportunities for all home health agencies

OVERLAND PARK, Kansas—WellSky, a health and community care technology company, announced the launch of WellSky CareInsights and WellSky Value-Based Insights at Sentara Home Care Services, the home health arm of Sentara Health, an integrated, nonprofit health care delivery system in Virginia and North Carolina.

The portals will collect end-user & family caregiver stories about the impact of policy changes

WASHINGTON—The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) launched two portals to collect end-user and family caregiver stories about the real-world impact of policy changes for non-invasive ventilators (NIV) and continuous glucose monitors (CGM). These stories will be used in advocacy efforts to educate payers and governmental agencies on the access issues and proposed solutions.

Shrivers Hospice aims to set a benchmark for quality care in Ohio with Center of Excellence Award

LOS ANGELES—Shrivers Hospice has been recognized with the Center of Excellence Award for the Midwest region by The Wound Pros, in recognition of its commitment to wound care and patient service. Shrivers Hospice, a provider based in Ohio, delivers end-of-life care and aims to honor the dignity and individuality of each patient.