Professionals for the Public Interest

Chiropractic board whistle-blower wins $1.175 million over retaliation claim

Marcie Lawrence — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:59:24 +0000

A former employee of the California State Board of Chiropractic Examiners who claimed she was fired for blowing the whistle that a board member’s license to practice had lapsed was awarded $1.175 million by a Sacramento Superior Court on Monday, July 26th, 2010. Read more here.

A Tougher Conflict Policy at Harvard Medical School

Marcie Lawrence — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:14:13 +0000

Harvard Medical School’s revised conflict-of-interest policy, released on July 21st, 2010, institutes a number of tighter limits on what professors are able to take from drug and medical device makers. Read more here.

Report Urges More Curbs on Medical Ghostwriting

Alexis Notabartolo — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:49:29 +0000

Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa has released a report calling on medical journals, medical schools and bodies like the National Institutes of Health to take further steps to curb medical ghost writing. Read more here.

Whistle-Blowers Become Investment Option for Hedge Funds

Alexis Notabartolo — Fri, 21 May 2010 19:10:52 +0000

As the whistleblower provisions of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) often take years to disburse rewards to whistleblowers who report income tax fraud, hedge funds, private equity groups, and other investors have begun investing in those future payouts by purchasing a percent and offering cash upfront to the whistleblowers. Read more here.

Doctor Groups Set New Policy to Curb Industry Sway

Alexis Notabartolo — Mon, 03 May 2010 20:38:01 +0000

In a sweeping move to counter the growing influence of drug and device makers have in patient care, the Council of Medical Specialty Societies has released a new code of ethics that 32 medical societies with 650,000 members, from neurologists and obstetricians to family doctors and pediatricians will now follow. Read more here.

Will Day of Justice Finally Arrive for Park Police Whistleblower?

Alexis Notabartolo — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:54:50 +0000

After disclosing that U.S. Park Police staffing levels were lower than the recommended levels, Theresa Chambers was fired as a U.S. Park Police Chief. On April 23, the U.S. Court of Appeals threw out the charges that got her fired in 2003. Read more here.

Thousands of Jets Put on Risky Paths in Detroit

Alexis Notabartolo — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:01:14 +0000

During a six month period in 2007, thousands of jets at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport were assigned dangerous flight paths over the objections of air traffic controllers. Read more here.

Supreme Court Restricts Whistle-blower Lawsuits

Alexis Notabartolo — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 19:57:32 +0000

The Supreme Court has limited the grounds for whistle-blower lawsuits related to U.S. health care fraud. Read more here.

Stanford Medical School to Expand Ethics Rules

Alexis Notabartolo — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:09:44 +0000

Stanford University will institute new rules prohibiting their adjunct faculty from giving paid speeches drafted by drug or medical device makers. Read more here.

Tennessee Commerce told to pay $1M to former CFO

Alexis Notabartolo — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:00:07 +0000

The former CFO of Tennessee Commerce Bancorp, who alerted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to problems with the bank’s internal controls and governance, will receive more than $1 million in back wages and penalties now that OSHA has ruled that he was unjustly fired for blowing the whistle. Read more here.