The anesthesiology stories that captivated Becker's ASC Review readers this year revolved around fraudulent billing allegations and the implications of COVID-19 for anesthesiologists.
Five top anesthesia stories in 2020:
1. New Jersey-based anesthesia and pain management specialist Morris Antebi, MD, was charged for his alleged role in a $24.6 million fraudulent billing scheme, the Department of Justice announced Nov. 9.
2. A preprint study of resident physicians in New York City suggested that anesthesiologists, emergency medicine and ophthalmology physicians face the highest risk of contracting COVID-19.
3. Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Wellness Wave surgical center owner Randy Rosen, MD, and his companion were charged for allegedly defrauding 18 insurance companies for more than $51 million. The alleged scheme involved hiring body brokers to pay patients at sober living homes to undergo medically unnecessary surgeries.
4. An anesthesiologist was sentenced in August to more than five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to involvement in a $200 million fraud scheme at Dallas-based Forest Park Medical Center, a now-defunct physician-owned hospital for bariatric and spinal patients, according to the DOJ.
5. Anesthesiologist Terry Ramnanan, MD, sued New Jersey for $100 million, claiming the nearly two years he spent defending himself against "fabricated charges" of illegal kickbacks caused irreparable damage to his reputation and 40-year career.