SoCal Connected Investigates Health Care Fraud and The Emotional Impact Caregiving has on Families
SOCAL CONNECTED INVESTIGATES HEALTH CARE FRAUD AND THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT
CAREGIVING HAS ON FAMILIES
Episode
airs March 9 at 9 p.m.
Los
Angeles, CA - March 6, 2012 - This
week on SoCal
Connected, correspondent Michael Okwu
investigates what law enforcement officials call a national epidemic: health
care fraud. Okwu takes a look at a Los
Angeles-based ghost clinic to understand how crooks swindle Medicare out of
billions of dollars each year, and why authorities aren't doing much to prevent
it. Then, in the first of a four-part
series exploring the emotional impact caregiving has on families, SoCal Connected looks at the pivotal
discussions to have with aging parents-- including planning for the future and
what to do when it's no longer safe for them to drive.
"GHOST CLINICS"
In February, authorities announced the largest health care scam in
the nation's history: a Dallas area doctor who allegedly defrauded Medicare out of 375
million dollars. With figures like that,
heath care fraud is now estimated to be more lucrative than the illegal drug
trade. In this week's SoCal Connected,
correspondent Michael Okwu takes a look at a Los Angeles-based ghost clinic to
understand how crooks swindle Medicare out of billions of dollars each year,
and why officials aren't doing much to prevent it. The producer is Rebecca Haggerty.
"THE TALK"
What happens when we suddenly become the caregivers...? When it's suddenly our turn? America's growing generation of Baby Boomers now faces a
challenge they were never prepared for: Taking care of ailing or aging loved
ones. In the first of a four-part
series, "The Talk" focuses on the essential caregiver issues, including the
difficult conversations to have with your aging parents about planning for the
future;
taking away your parents' car keys and the loss of freedom that means for them;
and managing aging parents who live far away.
The producer is Angela Shelley.
SoCal Connected airs Friday, March 9th
at 9 p.m. with encore airings on Saturdays at 6 p.m., Sundays at 1 p.m. and
6:30 p.m., and Mondays at 10 p.m.
The
Executive Producer of SoCal Connected
is Bret Marcus. Co-Executive Producer is Justine Schmidt. Anchor is Val Zavala.
About SoCal Connected
SoCal Connected, winner of the
Peabody and duPont-Columbia awards, 14 Emmy® Awards, 15 Golden Mikes, 18 LA
Press Club Awards, the Edward R. Murrow Award for Best News Documentary and Los
Angeles Magazine's "Best New Local TV Program" of 2009, airs Fridays (9:00
p.m.), with encores Saturdays (6 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.), Sundays (1:00 p.m. - 1:30
p.m.) and (6:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m.) and
Mondays (10:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.) exclusively on KCET. For more information, to
view episodes online or to post comments, please visit http://www.socalconnected.org.
SoCal Connected is made possible
through the generous support of The Ahmanson Foundation, serving the Los
Angeles community since 1952; Jim and Anne Rothenberg; The Maddocks-Brown
Foundation; The Elizabeth Hofert-Dailey Trust; The John Randolph Haynes &
Dora Haynes Foundation; The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs
and UCLA.
Press Contacts
Nick Jones or Liza Nedelman, MPRM Communications
323-933-3399; socal@mprm.com
