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The Social and Political Thought of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan: An Evaluation
Clarissa Rodrigues
Manufacturer: Sterling Pub Private Ltd
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ASIN: 8120703898 |
Book Description
An explanation of how thieves exploit the U.S. health system and steal more than $100 billion each year.Fraud and abuse bleeds more than 100 billion dollars each year out of the U.S. health system. This detailed examination shows the problem is worse than almost anyone knows, mostly invisible, and still far from controlled. Sparrow reveals that current control systems fail by presenting fraud perpetrators with a safe, easy-to-hit target: fully automated check-printing systems, which only require thieves to bill "correctly," regardless of whether or not any medical service is provided. This target attracts an extraordinary range of criminal entrepreneurs, from low-life hoods who sign on as Medicare or Medicaid providers equipped with nothing more than beepers and mailboxes, to drug trafficking organizations, organized crime syndicates, even major hospital chains. Sparrow's research examines the much-misunderstood effects of managed care on the problem, the government's recent attempts to grapple with fraud, and the campaign by various provider associations to undermine those efforts.TOC: PrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionFictitious CompaniesThe State of the ArtControl FailuresTwo Distinct Sciences: Fraud Detection, and Utilization Review, How Goes the War?Counterattack, New Frontiers for ControlFalse ClaimsManaged CareThe Nature of the Fraud-Control ChallengeThe Pathology of Fraud ControlThe Importance of MeasurementAssessment of Existing Fraud-Control SystemsThe Antithesis of Modern Claims ProcessingPrescription for ProgressA Model Fraud-Control StrategyDetection SystemsConclusionAcronyms and AbbreviationsNotesIndexBIO: Malcolm K. Sparrow teaches Regulatory and Enforcement Strategy, and Analytic Methods, at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. Formerly a Detective Chief Inspector with the British police service, he now specializes in issues of enforcement strategy, regulatory compliance, and risk control--he is the acknowledged national expert on the subject of Health Care Fraud. He is author of The Risk Business: Defining the Regulatory Craft (2000), License to Steal: Why Fraud Plagues America's Health Care System (1996), Imposing Duties: Government's Changing Approach to Compliance (1994); and co-author of Beyond 911: A New Era for Policing (1990) and Ethics in Government: The Moral Challenge for Public Leadership (1990).
Customer Reviews:
Must read for fraud investigators.......2006-11-04
This text is the best high level review of the national health care fraud issue out there. It gives the first time health care fraud professional the basics. It is somewhat dated in 2006, but nevertheless a very informative read on the subject.
No real point at all!.......2003-03-13
This book did not really need to be written. It is written by a fraud investigator and is about nothing but specific fraud in Medicare, but we already knew there was tremendous Fraud. If you didn't know that billions are stolen in every conceivable way you do now, and don't need to read the book.
Yes, the gov't sends out $250 billion each year for healthcare related goods and services while somewhere between 5-50% is pure fraud, but what do we do? If you want a Fraud investigators answer: simply improve the software to spot anomalous patterns like one patient with 20 primary care providers in one month. If you want to know one new thing that has not been suggested and tried a million times before you will not find it here.
Creative and brilliant ideas such as medical savings accounts where each American deposits his own tax dollars his own medical savings account and is thereby given the maximum incentive to spend wisely are not considered. What is considered exclusively is fine tuning the likes of which have been tried and tried for the last 45 years.
Finally, someone who "gets it"!!!.......2002-09-15
This is a remarkable book which opens the readers eyes to some of the "real" issues in the financial state of healthcare in the United States. It pulls together what the people in the trenches have struggled with for years ... and puts it into an easy to read text that you just CAN'T put down. This should be required text for anyone working in healthcare or anyone who receives care from the system.
Straight talk on fraud.......2000-09-02
Although he has a wealth of expertise and a scholar's background, Sparrow speaks in a narrative style about the sad state of health care fraud in America today. While some progress is being made, there remains a little depth and sophistication in the responses to the complex and clever fraud schemes out there. Regretably, the many policitcal and institutional barriers to mesuring and uncovering fraud continue to allow the system to be drained of precious dollars. While it takes a large investment to begin the fight on the level Sparrow advocates, the return is immeasurably greater. Not recommended for folks who don't need their blood pressure to rise.
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- The larger truth
- Truth telling at it's best
- Scaming the truth?
- Pseudo-science, like in the old days.
- Gypsies, again...
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License To Steal: Traveling Con Artists: Their Games, Their RulesYour Money
Dennis Marlock , and
John Dowling
Manufacturer: Paladin Press
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Binding: Paperback
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How to Become a Professional Con Artist
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The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man
ASIN: 0873647513 |
Book Description
This is an in-depth study of the Gypsy Mafia, the criminal element of the Romani population. Through police files, newspapers, historical data and interviews with victims, the authors expose the truth about this highly organized multibillion dollar business and tell you how to protect your money from con artists of all kinds.
Customer Reviews:
The larger truth.......2006-07-23
People of all groups, ethnicities, religions, and races commit cons, steal, and such. To paint a whole ethnic group, Gypsies (Romani folk) with the same broad brush as the few among them who commit crimes is no more valid than to call all whites "oven tenders" because of the Holocaust or call all corporate officers "embezzlers" because of Enron or to call all men as rapists because a few have done so. These sorry characterizations merely illustrate how twisted the slanderer's own views are.
While the grain of truth is that some people of all groups might con other people, the larger truth is that all groups have their share of criminals and no group has a monopoly on virtue.
Marlock clearly has written a book that is quite racist and wrong in spite of the grain of truth that some few people are indeed criminals.
Marlock tries to cover his tail by saying that he does not mean "all" Romani folk but then he goes on to make it quite clear that means "virtually all" but can't say so, without legal liability issues. It's pure CYA and then he goes on and on with his racist slanders.
Yes, cons do exist and this book describes many of them. No, they are not "Gypsy crimes" but just crimes and are committed by people of all ethnicities. Too bad he doesn't just stick to describing the crimes and never mind discussing his racial hatreds.
Marlock's agenda is clear. If he only wanted to protect innocents from crimes, he would not focus on a single very-small group of people. The number of Romani people in this world is miniscule compared to the number of criminals in the world so his focus on Gypsies illustrates his true agenda here is merely to demonize a tiny, relatively-defenseless group of people. The Furer's Reichspropagandaleiter Minister Dr. Goebbels would be proud of Marlock as one of their own, I am sure.
Truth telling at it's best.......2005-07-29
I must say I am appalled at the negative feedback on this book, and can only deduce that these reviews are written by those of whom this book speaks! Granted not ALL people of any ethnic race or population are bad, Dennis is simply exposing a behind the scenes multi-billion dollar business that just so happens to be run by the Gypsy culture. The stories in here are true and not fabrications. I have had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Marlock and listening to him speak. He is a very knowledgeable individual who has certainly done his homework and knows exactly what he is talking about. I highly doubt Mr. Marlock is making millions on this, it seems to be his passion, his life's work to get the word out there so less innocent people fall victim to such cruel crimes. The honest people work hard for their money legitimately, and no one should be allowed to just take it away. To all the scam artists out there, spend less time writing bad reviews and go get an education and a real job!
Dennis, continue the great work! You are doing society a favor by showing us what we might not see on our own!
Scaming the truth?.......2005-05-07
The disparaging reveiws about this book, to me, can mean only one thing: there are people out there who don't want the truth to be told. Is there such a thing as the Gypsy Mafia? Yes. Are they costing all of us by perpetuating their very lucrative scams? Yes.
Do those involved want you to read this book? No! Why? Because if we don't they exist we won't see them coming.
This is not a racist book and only those with an agenda would see it as one.
Pseudo-science, like in the old days........2002-07-28
The author, using a self-fooling technique transparent to outward observers, attemps to convince himself that to speak of "Gypsy crime" is not a racist slur on an entire ethnic group, because he doesn't say "Romani Crime" or some other atrocity of the sort.
That really is his problem though, and should not be a reason to let potential readers also be fooled by this pathetic scam and part with their money.
Gypsies, again..........2000-01-31
Well, if you can't blame anyone else, blame the Gypsies. Dennis Marlock is doing very well probably, using Gypsies as his career enhancer. However, replace Gypsies with Jews, Hispanics, Blacks, Asians, and you would have a libel lawsuit on your hands. Dennis, keep talking about Gypsies, and you true racism continues to show through.
Customer Reviews:
The finest book available on the origin of original issue HY.......2005-06-06
Benjamin Stein's License to Steal is the finest book available on the emergence of the original issue high yield market and the consequences of Michael Milken's abuse of newly emergent and naïve capital markets through a combination of the promotion of bogus research on the probability of default, burying fraud within the issue documentation, and providing groundless "independent' ratings for new issues. Not since John Law has there been another evil genius on the scale of Milken, whose re-writing of his own history also presages our modern world of constant spin by decades. Milken's debasement of capital markets begins with his misrepresentation of the seminal W. Braddock Hickman study of corporate bond returns, follows his testimony before Congress and his telling silence during his prosecution, and ends in a prison term he so richly deserved. Stein documents each detail carefully and well in a delightful and compelling style that is readable, funny, and horrifying. Unlike "Predators Ball" and other titles that focus on the glitz posing as glamour, and the fraud posing as capitalism, Stein's study is a character portrait that follows Milken's rise and fall while focusing on both the hubris and hamartia that makes up Milken's twisted worldview and sense of himself. Stein also correctly calls attention to Edward Altman's early sponsored research that further polluted the high yield market and extended Milken's criminal activity, and highlights the underappreciated study by Paul Asquith on cumulative default rates of high yield bonds to support the fact that yields did not pay for default risk with Milken's desk of Drexel Burnham Lambert in the market. If Stein has any flaw, it is that he is too hard on the concept of high yield (and therefore, high risk) bonds. Like John Law before him, Milken did do some good, but it was an accident of his actions, not his intention. For John Law, it was the tangible proof that an economy could survive and grow on paper script instead of coin. In the case of Milken, capital markets were sclerotic and entrepreneurs' access to financing was circumscribed to highly regulated and overly cautious banks. Milken forced banks to reexamine their own lending priorities to include a wider mix of risk profiles in their loan portfolios, and simultaneously encouraged the industry to lobby regulators for eased restrictions. Mercifully they were led in this effort by current Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. In hindsight, it now is obvious that banks and Savings and Loans were too constrained. It is equally obvious that the original issue high yield bond has a place in capital markets as part of a portfolio. But for a brief time in history there was a vacuum between banks, capital markets, entrepreneurs, regulators, and ratings agencies: filled by the evil ego that was and is Michael Milken. This book tells that story like no other.
Bogus.......2002-05-02
False assumptions leading to false conclusions.
To say that Milken precipitated the S&L crisis is simply not true and ignores the facts. Less fodder and more critical thinking would have been appreciated.
Bogus.......2002-05-02
A loose account of innuendos woven together haphazardly without illuminating the reader with anything even remotely substantive or factual. To say Milken caused, or had anything to do with the S&L crisis, is not only wrong, it is insulting to anyone who has taken the time to study the events and understand the facts. The author has evidently decided to rely on hearsay evidence to back up pre-assumed (and ultimately false) conclusions.
Suberb story of Michael Milken, King of the Universe.......2000-12-10
The back of the book highlights are the tip of the iceberg to a great book... and is right on:
"The world of Michael Milken--a world in which he could:
*Orchestrate the creation of a whole network of federally insured saving & loans to which he could sell vastly overvalued Drexel junk bonds--at a cost of billions of dollars to depositors and taxpayers;
*Pump up from nothing an insurance company network, induce it to buy his junk bonds, and then watch it fail, throwing hundreds of thousands of policyholders into panic;
*Own a powerful stake in a prestigious bond-rating house that actually rated his own bonds;
*Take a well-regarded national chain of daycare centers and make it a captive of the Drexel machine, force-feeding it junk until it collapsed;
*Command a national network of journalists who would write that Milken was doing good works even after he was in prison.
This is the world of Michael Milken, a financial manipulator so powerful that he was, in the words of the author, Benjamin J. Stein, "...almost a force of nature." " This is a great book! Get it.
Other suberb, outstanding must reads on the Milken subject: "Den of Thieves" by James B. Stewart; and "The Predators's Ball" by Connie Bruck. Three great reads on Michael Milken. Any other recommended good books on the subject?
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A License to Steal: The Forfeiture of Property
Leonard W. Levy
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0807822426 |
Book Description
Leonard Levy traces the development and implementation of forfeiture and contends that it is a questionable practice, which, because it is so often abused, serves only to undermine civil society. Arguing that civil forfeiture is unconstitutional, Levy provides examples of the victimization of innocent people and demonstrates that it has been used primarily against petty offienders rather than against its original targets, members of organized crime.
Book Description
Murder, the Mob, prostitution, drugs, innovative (but illegal) financial dealings, and the brilliant use of technology for ill-gotten gain, all have been involved in the schemes of unscrupulous casino owners, employees, and gamblers throughout the decades of legal gambling. Gaming in Nevada is more stringently controlled than anywhere else in the United States, and in License to Steal, investigative reporter and editor Jeff Burbank provides a lively and highly readable case history account of some of the most significant--and most fascinating--cases adjudicated by the Nevada Gaming Control Board and Commission during a pivotal time for the growing gaming industry.
It is the responsibility of these two agencies to review the licensing of new and established casinos, investigate reports of suspected wrongdoing, and punish those found guilty. In providing a balanced and objective yet very entertaining account of these sometimes complex cases, Jeff Burbank uses legal documents, meeting transcripts, insider interviews, and contemporary newspaper reports. The book is enhanced by the author's lively and informative recent interviews with key figures in gaming regulation, past and present.
Customer Reviews:
Feeling Lucky? .......2007-02-05
If you've ever put a quarter in a slot machine, you might have wondered if the game is fixed or if you actually have a chance of winning. You know that the house always has an edge, but you assume you have a chance of winning, otherwise you wouldn't play, right?
In Nevada, where the economy depends on gambling, there are two regulatory agencies, the Gaming Control Board and the Gaming Commission. In general, the Commission licenses casinos and the Board enforces the laws regarding gambling. Together they have a responsibility to make sure the public has confidence in the gambling system.
Jeff Burbank used to be a business reporter for the Las Vegas Sun and then the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the two major newspapers in Nevada. He investigated the casino industry from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s. During that time there were a number of landmark cases that the Commission and the Board dealt with. In License to Steal, Burbank describes seven of the most controversial and entertaining cases.
One story tells of the casino owner who had a Nazi memorabilia collection that he liked to exhibit to a few hundred close friends from time to time. He'd throw a party, sometimes on Hitler's birthday, to show off the collection. The parties were held in his casino, but not in public view. Word got around (apparently the collection was really something) and the Commission wondered if it shouldn't do something, since one of their mandates is to ensure the licensees (casino owners and operators) don't do anything to give Nevada a bad reputation. It was a touchy problem: a lot of people were offended, but what about freedom of speech? And wasn't it somewhat hypocritical to censure someone for offensive behavior in Las Vegas, which has a bit of a reputation for bad taste? In the end, they fined the casino owner. Even in Las Vegas, there are limits to bad taste.
Another story explained how a slot machine manufacturer had programmed its machines to make it look as if losing spins had just missed being winners - "near misses." The owners claimed that the machine wheels would spin randomly, as they are supposed to, but that once the spin had randomly been determined to be a loser, the wheels would re-adjust to show a near miss. This made it more exciting for the player, who would play more. But the regulators thought it might compromise the appearance of randomness. They decided the near miss feature would not be allowed, but when the company appealed on the grounds that retrofitting thousands of machines would be too expensive, the Commission cut them some slack. They still went bankrupt.
Then there's the story about a Gaming Control Board employee who found a way to rig the slot machines he tested so they would pay off when a certain sequences of coins was fed into them. Burbank tells how the employee also learned how to predict keno draws, using a computer program, and was trying out the system in Atlantic City, when casino security became suspicious. This was different from the slots - he hadn't rigged the keno game, he was using an algorithm that found an element of non-randomness in the draws and exploited it. I'm not even sure that qualifies as cheating according to Commission rules, but it certainly does by casino rules. The casinos can make up their own rules and anything that gives a player an edge over the casino is considered by the casino to be cheating.
Once Atlantic City authorities notified Las Vegas authorities, the employee's boss at the Board examined the employee's office computer and examined the records of payoffs the machines he had tested and found he and his friends and relatives had been hitting regular jackpots on the machines. This caused a real public relations headache for the Commission and for the casinos. Just the fact that an employee of the commission had been rigging slots for several years was bad enough. But then ABC-TV reported that the employee claimed that commissioners had abruptly stopped an investigation into rigged machines, and that they knew that the jackpot for the Megabucks statewide progressive slots could be triggered from the central computer center, and that several other companies were programming the slots to display illegal near misses. These were claims that should have been investigated immediately and vigorously, if only to maintain the appearance of an honest system. But they weren't.
License to Steal is fun to read as a collection of eccentric character sketches and descriptions of clever scams. But it's also disturbing. The Commission and Board members are all political appointees and the casino owners contribute to most of the political candidates. So when you drop a quarter in the slot and pull the lever (or more likely slip a $20 into the currency scanner and press the button), are you playing a fair game? Or would you rather not know the answer to that question?
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License to Steal
J C Herman
Manufacturer: Leathers Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1585971995 |
Book Description
The longing for love and companionship brings a naive Midwestern cattle rancher into the arms of a beautiful and cunning city con artist. Manipulation, seduction, intrigue and passion all work together to create a romantic crime of the heart.
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License to Steal
Abe Ziskis , and
Harvey Ziskis
Manufacturer: Authorhouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0759648301 |
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