Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Corporate Integrity: How does it influence your choices?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Corporate Integrity: How does it influence your choices?

    the dept of justice announced this week that walgreens is to pay $35 million for committing medicare fraud in 42 states (hawaii is not included).

    from 2001 to 2005, walgreens substituted different versions (tablets for capsules, for example) of ranitidine, fluoxetine and eldepryl for no other reason than financial gain. walgreens was also required to enter into a corporate integrity agreement (text here).

    "This is our third settlement with a company that has engaged in improper drug switching, and it represents the government's continuing commitment to vigorously pursue fraud in government health care programs," said Gregory G. Katsas, Acting Assisting Attorney General for the Civil Division. "The United States will not tolerate pharmacies or any other health care providers that attempt to manipulate the Medicaid program at the
    taxpayers' expense."

    ...

    "Switching medication from tablets to capsules might seem harmless, but when that is done solely to increase profit and in violation of federal and state regulations that are designed to protect patients, pharmacies must know that they are subjecting themselves to the possibility of triple damages, civil penalties and attorney fees," said Patrick Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. "These penalties, coupled with the willingness of insiders to report fraud, should deter such misconduct, but when it doesn't, the result in this case and others serves notice that we will aggressively pursue all available legal remedies."

    Walgreens has also entered into a compliance agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to insure that Walgreens does not improperly switch drugs in the future. The compliance agreement will be in effect for five years.
    a list of businesses have been who have entered into corporate integrity agreements rather than being excluded by the feds from participating in medicare/medicaid/other fed healthcare programs (in other words, accept payment from those programs--thereby losing millions of dollars yearly) because of fraud/false reporting is here. you'll note some organizations that do business locally: american medical response (private ambulance company), hawaii's kaiser, hilo medical center, and interstate pharmacy corp (provider of drugs to most of hawaii's long term care facilities), and wal-mart (details as to what the charges were for each company are at the links).

    do you consider a company's integrity when making purchasing/business decisions. if, for example, you found out your dermatogolist was committing insurance fraud, like dr. norman goldstein did, would you continue to go to him? does it bother you that walmart "shorted" patient prescriptions (gave less than the fully prescribed number of dosages because of lack of stock) but yet charged medicare/tricare for the full amount? do you continue to patronize a business--whether healthcare, automotive, restaurant, whatever--even if you've heard from people you know that they were treated badly, or maybe even cheated?
    24
    No, as long as the business/organization/contractor did nothing bad to me.
    4.17%
    1
    Yes, if they did something to someone I know.
    33.33%
    8
    Yes, if I see or hear an announcement in the media.
    41.67%
    10
    Yes, I check sites like the Better Business Bureau before I pick a vendor or contractor.
    16.67%
    4
    I don't really think about it.
    4.17%
    1
    I never really thought about it but maybe I will from now on.
    0.00%
    0
    Last edited by helen; June 7, 2008, 09:12 PM. Reason: fixing URL tag
    superbia (pride), avaritia (greed), luxuria (lust), invidia (envy), gula (gluttony), ira (wrath) & acedia (sloth)--the seven deadly sins.

    "when you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people i deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly..."--meditations, marcus aurelius (make sure you read the rest of the passage, ya lazy wankers!)

    nothing humiliates like the truth.--me, in conversation w/mixedplatebroker re 3rd party, 2009-11-11, 1213

  • #2
    Re: corporate integrity: how does it influence your choices?

    go! Airlines comes to mind for me...

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: corporate integrity: how does it influence your choices?

      Originally posted by tutusue View Post
      go! Airlines comes to mind for me...
      Yeah. I don't care for them either.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: corporate integrity: how does it influence your choices?

        I check board of health websites for online reports on restaurants. Is it possible to do this in Honolulu?

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: corporate integrity: how does it influence your choices?

          Originally posted by cynsaligia View Post
          do you consider a company's integrity when making purchasing/business decisions.
          Yes - even to the level of my investment portfolio.

          Interesting, cyn, to see you start this thread with the story about Walgreen's pharmacy practices, and to also see you make this comment
          Originally posted by cynsaligia View Post
          i think it cost me just under $5 at walgreens. i've also seen it at walmart.
          in the "Best Purchases of the Day" thread. I notice that you didn't respond to your own poll - but that other posting reveals a bit about what you might answer.

          (Side note: my daughter worked as a certified pharmacy technician for Walgreen's for a number of years, but left the company about a year ago.)
          Last edited by Leo Lakio; June 8, 2008, 08:14 AM.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: corporate integrity: how does it influence your choices?

            Originally posted by Leo Lakio View Post

            Interesting, cyn, to see you start this thread with the story about Walgreen's pharmacy practices, and to also see you make this commentin the "Best Purchases of the Day" thread. I notice that you didn't respond to your own poll - but that other posting reveals a bit about what you might answer.
            ah. but do you know when i purchased the cepacol sore throat spray, and do you know when i found out about walgreen's settlement?

            additionally, do you know what i do for a living?

            i neglected to answer my own poll bcs of a phone call. i'll take care of that now and "reveal" my stance myself.
            superbia (pride), avaritia (greed), luxuria (lust), invidia (envy), gula (gluttony), ira (wrath) & acedia (sloth)--the seven deadly sins.

            "when you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people i deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly..."--meditations, marcus aurelius (make sure you read the rest of the passage, ya lazy wankers!)

            nothing humiliates like the truth.--me, in conversation w/mixedplatebroker re 3rd party, 2009-11-11, 1213

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: corporate integrity: how does it influence your choices?

              Originally posted by cynsaligia View Post
              does it bother you that walmart "shorted" patient prescriptions (gave less than the fully prescribed number of dosages because of lack of stock) but yet charged medicare/tricare for the full amount?
              To be honest with you, no, mainly because I do not get prescriptions from Wal-Mart. And how does one begin to verify this? Count the number of pills you get from the pharmacy? And how does one know what the pharmacy charged the insurance carriers?

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: corporate integrity: how does it influence your choices?

                Originally posted by cynsaligia View Post
                ah. but do you know when i purchased the cepacol sore throat spray, and do you know when i found out about walgreen's settlement?

                additionally, do you know what i do for a living?

                i neglected to answer my own poll bcs of a phone call. i'll take care of that now and "reveal" my stance myself.
                All I can say is that you told us of its availability at Walgreen's & Wal-Mart, and at what price at Walgreen's, about an hour after telling us of the questionable practices of those two companies.

                As for your living, I only know what you've told us in other postings, regarding work in the medical profession - not sure of the relevance to my comment, however.

                I kinda figured you'd be socially responsible on this issue, however.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: corporate integrity: how does it influence your choices?

                  i actually count my pills that are bought through walgreen's mail service. walgreen's is the only mail service that our insurance carrier (summerlin) works with. other scripts are filled at times. i buy ranitidine from sam's club. i voted first then replied. now, i'm just confused. ugh!

                  i shop at walmart because their prices for every day items are cheaper than long's. but, with rising gas prices, it might be smarter to stay nearer to home.

                  walgreen's is slated to take over the space where price busters in kailua is currently located. the kaneohe store is due to open at year's end.
                  Last edited by kani-lehua; June 8, 2008, 03:43 PM.
                  "chaos reigns within.
                  reflect, repent and reboot.
                  order shall return."

                  microsoft error message with haiku poetry

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: corporate integrity: how does it influence your choices?

                    Frankly, if we’re going to talk about these two companies, I would say Wal-Mart has a much more established reputation of “lacking corporate integrity.” IMHO, any time the largest retailer in the country encourages their employees to go on welfare while simultaneously accepting hefty government subsidies, and selling mostly products from third-world countries made with under-age sweatshop labor, you have to question its corporate integrity. And let’s not forget they were one of the pioneers in the strategy of setting up shop two feet away from the smaller, local competition (now everyone from Starbucks to Hawai‘i Self-Storage does it).

                    We can’t be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans.

                    — U.S. President Bill Clinton
                    USA TODAY, page 2A
                    11 March 1993

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: corporate integrity: how does it influence your choices?

                      this is probably going to come across as very self-righteous but I'm very proud of the fact I have never spent a penny in a WalMart store. I've been inside this one only because it was a convenient ASB branch but even that has changed since I closed my account. I haven't shopped at Walgreen's simply because there is a Long's right across the street from my office, they deliver my Rx's to me and I feel my loyalty should be to Long's. and yes, I know they aren't really "local" anymore but they have been here a long time and I'm tired of seeing all our local businesses getting pushed aside because of companies from the continent coming in.

                      ok........that's my rant for the day.
                      "Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be."
                      – Sydney J. Harris

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: corporate integrity: how does it influence your choices?

                        Originally posted by Leo Lakio View Post
                        All I can say is that you told us of its availability at Walgreen's & Wal-Mart, and at what price at Walgreen's, about an hour after telling us of the questionable practices of those two companies.
                        true. however, my purpose was not to tell people that a company's (lack of) integrity should influence their choices or that they should outright boycott shopping someplace because of it. it's hard enough for people to make choices and save money what with the economy being the way it is.

                        i'll still shop at walmart, honestly. walgreens? not so much. the only thing they had going for them was that they had a certain product that we otherwise had to order online. i recently found out they stopped carrying that product, so the impetus to go there is now gone. or at least the impetus to go there while in hawaii is gone. they're everywhere in portland so when we visit my mom, we'll probably still go there.



                        Originally posted by Leo Lakio View Post

                        As for your living, I only know what you've told us in other postings, regarding work in the medical profession - not sure of the relevance to my comment, however.
                        besides healthcare risk management, i also work in corporate compliance.

                        Originally posted by Leo Lakio View Post
                        I kinda figured you'd be socially responsible on this issue, however.
                        i try. in fact, eric and i try to make choices that not only benefit us, but the community/environment/local businesses, etc. it's a tough balance sometimes, and we always feel like there could be more we could be doing.
                        superbia (pride), avaritia (greed), luxuria (lust), invidia (envy), gula (gluttony), ira (wrath) & acedia (sloth)--the seven deadly sins.

                        "when you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people i deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly..."--meditations, marcus aurelius (make sure you read the rest of the passage, ya lazy wankers!)

                        nothing humiliates like the truth.--me, in conversation w/mixedplatebroker re 3rd party, 2009-11-11, 1213

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: corporate integrity: how does it influence your choices?

                          Originally posted by cynsaligia View Post
                          it's a tough balance sometimes, and we always feel like there could be more we could be doing.
                          A-men to that, sister. Let's hope we never lose that feeling - it motivates us to do better every day.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Corporate Integrity: How does it influence your choices?

                            Originally posted by cynsaligia View Post
                            do you consider a company's integrity when making purchasing/business decisions?
                            Absolutely, but not all companies are created equal. For example, the Big Island has a serious problem with health care. Nobody wants to go to HMC if they can help it, but where else will the ambulance take us?

                            On a lighter, but equally poignant note, the best jeans that fit my butt come from the Gap. Gap stores, however, do not carry sizes past 14, and leave their sizes 16-20 as "online exclusives". It pisses me off that they want my money, but they don't want me seen in their store buying their clothes. To reconcile this with the fact that I like the fit of their 16L jeans, I go to the resellers on ebay, and entertain my purchases there. The company also pissed me off by closing out their Towne&Forth line (a lined squarely aimed at women like me 40yrs-60yrs professional women's market, comparable to their Banana Republic lines with more sensible cuts and fits), to instead build their insipid Piperlime shoe store. F*** 'em, I say.

                            As for the Global POV: I have been boycotting French products since 1996 when those jerks did nuclear "testing" off of F. Polynesia. I believe that polluting the Pacific Ocean has a greater net effect on me and my family's health than we realize.

                            That said, I would love to boycott the oil companies. I don't know how to completely do that, thinking macro-economically.

                            pax

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Corporate Integrity: How does it influence your choices?

                              places i have boycotted for different reasons: macy's (i have since gone back because i got an apology email from the store manager); zippy's (all because the counter person's personality, or lack of SUCKED) and finally, long's (sorry, don't ask, won't tell the reason).
                              "chaos reigns within.
                              reflect, repent and reboot.
                              order shall return."

                              microsoft error message with haiku poetry

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X