Whistleblower News From the Inside -- January 5, 2018

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team

Hospitals Nationally Hit Hard By Medicare’s Safety Penalties – As the federal government penalizes 751 hospitals for having too many infections and patient injuries, some states are feeling the cuts in Medicare payments more than others. This year’s punishments landed the hardest in Connecticut and Delaware, where Medicare penalized half of the evaluated hospitals, federal records show. In New York and Nevada, 4 in 10 hospitals were penalized. A third were punished in Rhode Island and Georgia. (These figures do not include specialty hospitals automatically exempted from penalties: those serving veterans, children and psychiatric patients, and “critical access” hospitals that are the only institutions in their area.) NPR

Bentley superintendent on paid leave amid whistleblower investigation – The Bentley Community Schools superintendent is on paid leave following an investigation that has been launched regarding district policy. Bentley school board president Elaine Beckelic confirmed Tuesday, Jan. 2, that superintendent Chris Arrington has been placed on a non-disciplinary paid leave of absence as of Dec. 4, 2017. MLive

Former Weld Clerk and Recorder employee, whistleblower announces run for Clerk and Recorder – Former Weld County Motor Vehicle Office manager and Clerk and Recorder’s Office whistleblower Elisa Kunkel on Tuesday announced she will run for office against her former boss, Weld Clerk and Recorder Carly Koppes.

Kunkel, 50, spent more than 16 years in the Weld Clerk and Recorder’s Office, including two years as a manager, and is currently employed in the Weld County Planning and Zoning Department, according to news release from Kunkel. The Tribune