With the announcement of the Pulitzer recipients not far away (April 14th)-it occurred to me that when the winners and finalists are announced-a great many readers might not have been aware, let alone have read, many of these prize-winning works of journalism.
So, as a run-up to the official announcement, DailyNewsGems.com, will be highlighting some outstanding works of journalism, worthy of Pulitzer consideration.
-Bill Lucey
Back in July through September, 2013, The Dallas Morning News investigation team reported on pervasive problems associated with rural Texas hospitals owned or operated by Dr. Tariq Mahmood, involving charges that his hospitals operated with expired licenses —were weighed down with inadequate staffing; engaged in fraudulent billing; were negligent in the supervision of the facilities; administered the hiring of inferior doctors; failed to pay taxes; and, through its gross negligence, tragically resulted in patient deaths. Mahmood was indicted after federal authorities said he bilked Medicare and Medicaid out of $1.1 million, by falsifying patient records to inflate Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.
``Over the next four years, Mahmood operated his chain of rural hospitals that were repeatedly cited for endangering patients. Reports of neglectful care, questionable management practices and rundown conditions persisted under a sluggish and patchwork oversight system.
Warnings reached multiple levels of government, including criminal investigative units and taxing entities. But agencies were slow to take action and often didn’t share information. It wasn’t until this year that they began to crack down on Mahmood.''
As a result of The Dallas Morning News series, Texas Gov. Rick Perry ordered a broad investigation of Mahmood's health-care facilities; and in February, 2014, the News reported on a congressional panel-demanding answers from federal health agencies about what they are doing to prevent fraud after a Texas hospital chain allegedly fleeced a stimulus program on its way to amassing $18 million. http://goo.gl/ru8uzF
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- WSJ: 5 takeaways from the Christie George Washington Bridge closure review: 1.) Wrath of Drewniak; 2.) Targets; 3.) Sticking to the Script; 4.) No Payback?; 5.) Naming David Wildstein. The Journal elaborates on each of those bullet points. http://goo.gl/qCNnaq
- Bloomberg News: More and more frequently, law enforcement officials have been able to track down suspects through the use of a massive database of license-plate images. But privacy advocates are voicing concerns. Bills in more than a dozen states would limit license-plate tracking.; and just last year, Bloomberg reports ``Utah passed a law that bars police from keeping license-plate data for more than nine months and private companies from holding onto images for more than 30 days without a court order’’. http://goo.gl/1jsfyv
- WSJ: The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking ways to make it easier for law enforcement agencies to get warrants to hack into the computers of criminal suspects nationwide. Privacy advocates warn, however, ``that government spyware could end up on innocent people’s computers if remote attacks are authorized against equipment whose ownership isn’t clear.'' http://goo.gl/VGOJCW
This and STAT
- Which States are doing the best or worse in meeting its Obamacare enrollment rolls? http://goo.gl/Dgg2hc
- Fun Tool: Graph Ratings of Your Favorite TV Shows, http://goo.gl/yEGe43
- Mother Jones INFOMAP: The Countries That Block Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube http://goo.gl/S3bZNr
- Rick Pitino loses his first Sweet 16 game. He is now 11-1 in the round.
- This is the first time that Michigan and Michigan State both advanced to the Elite 8 in the same year.
- A mere 8 out of the 11 million ESPN Tournament Challenge brackets got all Elite Eight teams correct.
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