The Associated Press reports that three of the five hospitals treating victims from the mass shooting will waive or limit medical costs. Children’s Hospital Colorado will use donations and a charity fund to cover the expenses of uninsured victims, and waive co-pays for the insured. Questions: 1. According to the article, about how much has… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Auditing
Reported to be the largest antitrust settlement in history
Visa, MasterCard and major banks agreed Friday, July 13, to pay at least $6 billion to settle a lawsuit brought by retailers. A banking industry trade group said the settlement would allow stores to charge customers more to pay with a credit card. Questions: 1. According to the article, what is the average credit card… Read more »
The Weather Channel Buys Weather Underground
This week, Weather Underground, a unique website with a cult following was acquired by The Weather Channel for an undisclosed sum of money. As a strong competitor to The Weather Channel, the website has a devoted readership, with approximately 10 million unique visitors per month. Fans of Weather Underground have expressed outrage and disappointment in… Read more »
Jail is not for Big Pharma
In the largest health care fraud settlement in U.S. history, A federal judge on approved an agreement to fine British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline for criminal and civil violations involving 10 drugs. Questions: 1. Do you think fines can deter unlawful behavior at Big Pharma? In your opinion, why didn’t anyone go to jail for these violations?… Read more »
The Barclays Scandal (AKA LIBOR LIAR)
Questions about the close links between banking regulators and the financial institutions they oversee will come into focus on Monday, when a top official at Britain’s central bank appears before a parliamentary committee here looking into the manipulation of global interest rates. Questions: 1. Explain the Libor rate. 2. As a result of this scandal,… Read more »
Medical Tourism
Tourism is sometimes more than just for pleasure. In fact, thousands of U.S. citizens are crossing the border to Mexico or as the video shows, they are going to even more exotic places in search of more affordable medical care. Questions: 1. What types of procedures are people going to Mexicali to receive? 2. According… Read more »
Japanese Whistleblower Wins in the End
Masaharu Hamada, a good salesman with experience in the U.S., was demoted by Olympus Corp. as reprisal for relaying supplier complaints to management regarding corrupt business practices. But he fought back and Japan’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of the whistleblower for the first time. This case highlights the harsh treatment that outspoken employees have… Read more »
Number One Winner!
A new study by the nonprofit, Integrity Florida, ranks the Sunshine State as the nation’s most corrupt state. Since 1976, 1,762 of Florida’s public officials have been convicted of public corruption, with an average of 71 convictions per year over the period from 2000 to 2010. The study gives Florida a C minus grade on… Read more »
Caught in a Lie
In May 2006, well-known Denver DJ, Steven B. Williams’ body was found dead off the in the waters off Santa Catalina Island with one bullet in his head. The case was cold until a salesman and ex-cop, Joe Parsetich, at a Great Falls, Montana, car dealership decided to check out a story from co-worker, Harvey… Read more »
The Price of Transparency in Hospitals
One of the biggest problems today is that consumers have no way of figuring out how much a particular health care service costs. Unfortunately, a recent Arizona bill to encourage hospitals and doctors to become more transparent about the prices they charge for services was just killed by the state legislature. The bill would have… Read more »