Following 3-week vaccine blitz, Gov. Mike DeWine plans to end coronavirus health orders: Capitol Letter
Today 8:00 AM
Gov. Mike DeWine said Wednesday all coronavirus-related public health orders will end June 2. (The Ohio Channel)
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Rotunda Rumblings
Million-dollar idea: Gov. Mike DeWine announced Wednesday that all coronavirus public health orders will be lifted June 2. Laura Hancock reports that Ohio has been under a state of emergency since March 9, 2020, which has enabled the restrictions. However, in lifting the public health order, DeWine is nullifying his previous benchmark for reopening, which looked at cases per capita. In the next three weeks, DeWine is also offering some creative incentives in the form of drawings for college scholarships and $1 million awards to people who are at least partially inoculated.
05/10/21
WorkersCompensation.com
Columbus, OH (WorkersCompensation.com) - Four Ohioans convicted or sentenced for workers compensation fraud in April include a Central Ohio physician who unlawfully distributed controlled substances and overbilled the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC).
On April 15, U.S. Judge Michael Wilson of the Southern District of Ohio ordered Kedar Deshpande, MD, to pay $117,122 in restitution, including $70,957 to BWC. The judge also sentenced Deshpande to three years of supervised release, 12 months of which is to be served under home detention, for felony counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances and false statements relating to health care matters.
“Our Special Investigations Department found Dr. Deshpande upcoded patient office visits by falsely representing the level of examination he performed on our injured workers so he could receive inflated reimbursement from BWC,” said BWC Interim Administrator/CEO John Logue. “Cong
Business briefs: CVS, electric co-ops
Mansfield News Journal
Walk-in vaccination appointments available at CVS
MANSFIELD - CVS Health is accepting walk-in COVID-19 vaccination appointments with no appointment necessary at CVS Pharmacy locations across the country, including the nearly 370 across the Buckeye State. Same-day scheduling, including appointments as soon as one hour from time of scheduling, is also available at CVS.com. The company’s COVID-19 vaccine scheduler is updated throughout the day to account for same-day cancellations.
Local co-ops conducting speed test for broadband internet
ATTICA – Not-for-profit North Central Electric Cooperative (NCE) is conducting a rural broadband speed test open to its members and the general public. Along with three other area electric cooperatives, NCE is gathering real data on the current offerings, speeds and availability of internet services in and around the co-ops territories.
People can get pretty angry when they feel cheated out of a sweet slice of pie.
It s the same with companies especially when they re denied a chance for a piece of a pie worth $20 billion.
This pricey pie, considered the largest contract in Ohio state government history, represents the approximate value of Medicaid managed-care work divvied up among six companies last month.
Two of the six losers filed protests filled with harsh language for the Department of Medicaid, which designed the contracts to handle medical care for more than 3 million poor and disabled Ohioans including 1.3 million children.
The vituperative challenges offer the first indicator that this year s re-procurement could mirror the bitter, months-long legal battle during the last re-bidding process in 2012. The latest round was ordered by Gov. Mike DeWine shortly after assuming office because the existing setup allowed pharmacy benefit managers to overcharge Ohio by hundreds of millions of dollars
Ohio sees drop in both coronavirus case rate, unemployment benefits claims: Capitol Letter
Today 8:00 AM
Forty-five of Ohio s 88 counties are on red alert for concern over spread of the virus. Thirty-nine are a step lower for concern at orange, and four at the lowest level of yellow.Rich Exner, cleveland.com
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Rotunda Rumblings
Ohio not as red: Forty-five Ohio counties are on red alert for concern over the spread of coronavirus this week. That’s the lowest this number has been in months, Rich Exner reports. It was as high as 84 in parts of January and February. Meanwhile, the two-week case rate dropped sharply, to 155.6 cases per 100,000 residents, down from 200 just two weeks ago, the state health department reported Thursday.