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Kovalchuk scores 2 to lead Devils past Canadiens

MONTREAL – Dainius Zubrus and Ilya Kovalchuk scored 2:52 apart early in the first, sending the New Jersey Devils on to a 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday.

Martin Brodeur got his 615th career win despite leaving after the first period because of a bruised right leg. Brodeur stopped all 11 shots he faced before he was replaced for the second by Johan Hedberg, who made 14 saves over the final two periods.

Kovalchuk was awarded his second goal of the game at 18:39 of the third when he was hooked on a shot at an empty net that hit the right post. Travis Zajac, who scored in the second, got his second assist of the game on the play.

P.K. Subban got his sixth goal 6:32 into the second, moments after Zajac made it 3-0, to spoil the combined shutout effort.

Carey Price made 26 saves for Montreal, which had won three straight coming out of the All-Star break, including a 2-0 win over the New York Rangers on Saturday.

Zubrus opened the scoring on an unassisted effort 1:12 in. The former Canadiens forward jumped on a turnover by Montreal defenseman Hal Gill behind the net and came out front to beat Price for his 10th goal.

Kovalchuk deflected Colin White's point shot in midair, redirecting it past Price for his 16th goal at 4:04.

Brodeur flexed his right leg at the Devils' bench during a stoppage in play with 5:45 left in the opening period moments after stopping a shot by Jaroslav Spacek.

He finished the period but did not return for the second.

Zajac made it a three-goal lead with his ninth goal 3:16 into the middle period.

Subban drew Montreal within 3-1 when he was credited with his sixth after his shot struck Kovalchuk's stick on its way past Hedberg at 6:32.

NOTES: Brodeur watched the third period from general manager Lou Lamoriello's box. ... Canadiens D James Wisniewski missed his second straight game because of illness.

Many get antidepressants for no psychiatric reason

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – More than a quarter of people in the United States who take antidepressants have never been diagnosed with any of the conditions the drugs are typically used to treat, according to a study.

As a result, millions could be exposed to side effects from the medicines without proven health benefits, said Jina Pagura, a psychologist and currently a medical student at the University of Manitoba in Canada, and colleagues who worked on the study.

"We cannot be sure that the risks and side effects of antidepressants are worth the benefit of taking them for people who do not meet criteria for major depression," Pagura said in an e-mail to Reuters Health.

For the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, Pagura and colleagues tapped into data from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiologic Surveys, which include a nationally representative sample of more than 20,000 U.S. adults interviewed between 2001 and 2003.

Roughly one in ten people told interviewers they had been taking antidepressants during the previous year, yet a quarter of those people had never been diagnosed with any of the conditions that doctors usually treat with the medications, such as major depression and anxiety disorder.

"These individuals are likely approaching their physicians with concerns that may be related to depression, and could include symptoms like trouble sleeping, poor mood, difficulties in relationships, etc," Pagura said.

"Although an antidepressant might help with these issues, the problems may also go away on their own with time, or might be more amenable to counseling or psychotherapy."

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly 15 million people in the United States suffer from major depression, and 40 million more have anxiety disorders.

Although the survey didn't include all mental illnesses that might have led doctors to prescribe an antidepressant, other experts said the latest findings are not exaggerated.

"Reviews of claims records, which are diagnoses actually given by health care professionals, suggest that only about 50 percent of patients who are prescribed antidepressants receive a psychiatric diagnosis," said Mark Olfson, a psychiatrist at Columbia University in New York.

With sales of $9.9 billion in 2009, up three percent from the previous year, antidepressants rank fourth among prescription drugs in the United States, said IMS Health, a company that analyzes the pharmaceutical industry.

While studies have shown the drugs may help some people with depression, they come with a price tag -- and not only the $100 or more that a month's supply can cost. Some users experience sexual problems or gain weight.

But it is still not easy to say if antidepressants are being overprescribed as a blanket statement, health experts said.

"There are undoubtedly many people being prescribed antidepressants that may not be effective for them, but there are also millions of Americans suffering from depression who are not being prescribed antidepressants or are being prescribed them at a suboptimal dose," said Jeffrey Harman, in health services at the University of Florida in Gainesville, who was not involved in the study.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/eXPVSL

(Reporting by Frederic Joelving at Reuters Health; editing by Elaine Lies)

New Hampshire beats Albany (NY) in overtime, 62-59

DURHAM, N.H. – Chandler Rhoads scored 15 points to lead New Hampshire over Albany (N.Y.) 62-59 in overtime on Wednesday night.

With 1:01 remaining in regulation and the Wildcats (10-13, 4-7 America East Conference) trailing 49-47, Rhoads stepped to the free-throw line with a chance to tie the score. Rhoads knocked down both attempts and both teams missed a pair of free throws down the stretch to force the overtime period.

Another free throw from Rhoads gave New Hampshire a 60-56 lead with 13 seconds left in OT and the Wildcats held on for the victory.

The Great Danes (11-14, 4-6) shot 28.1 percent in the second half (9 of 32), but were able to force the extra frame thanks to a 25-percent effort (7 of 28) by New Hampshire after intermission.

Tim Ambrose scored 15 points and Luke Devlin added 14 rebounds for Albany.

Scott Morris had 14 points and Dane Diliegro 12 for the Wildcats.

Health care fraud: Not a faceless crime any longer

WASHINGTON – Health care fraud once was a faceless crime. Now it has a mug shot, even a smile.

Medicare and Medicaid scams cost taxpayers more than $60 billion a year, but bank holdups are more likely to get greater attention.

The government wants the public's help in trying to catch more than 170 fugitives wanted for fraud, so it's developed a new health care most-wanted list, with its own website — . Most are dour; some sport smiles.

One name on the list is Leonard Nwafor, convicted in Los Angeles of billing Medicare more than $1 million for motorized wheelchairs that people didn't need. One person who got a wheelchair was a blind man who later testified he couldn't see to operate it.

Facing time in federal prison, Nwafor disappeared before his sentencing.

"We're looking for new ways to press the issue of catching fugitives," said Gerald Roy, deputy inspector general for investigations at the Health and Human Services Department. "If someone walks into a bank and steals $3,000 or $4,000, it would be all over the newspaper. These people manage to do it from a less high profile position, but they still have a tremendous impact."

Even though motorized wheelchairs can cost up to $7,000 apiece, Nwafor's scam was on the low end when compared with others who made the most-wanted list.

Sisters Clara and Caridad Guilarte allegedly submitted $9 million to Medicare in false and fraudulent claims for pricey infusion drugs that were never provided to patients. They are accused of offering cash and other rewards for beneficiaries to visit their clinic in Dearborn, Mich., and sign forms that said they received services that they never got.

An alleged accomplice was arrested in the Dominican Republic recently, but the sisters remain at large.

Scammers "often utilize their ties to a particular community," said Roy. "They take advantage of ethnic communities based on language barriers or lack of knowledge about how the Medicare system works. These folks are exploiting low-income communities."

Fugitive Susan Bendigo is accused of billing California's Medicaid program for $17 million in nursing care, much of which was performed by staffers who weren't licensed. A registered nurse, Bendigo was the nursing director for a company that provided personnel for home health agencies. Allegedly, she was fully aware that she was required to send licensed nurses to care for patients.

Topping the list are Miami brothers Carlos, Luis and Jose Benitez. Owners of a string of medical clinics, they allegedly scammed Medicare out of $119 million by billing for costly HIV drugs that patients never received or did not need. Authorities say they bought hotels, helicopters and boats before fleeing to Cuba.

The FBI has the marquee most-wanted list, but the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies also maintain their own.

Roy said he hopes this newest list will raise awareness about the importance of combatting health care fraud. Medicare and Medicaid, which provide care for about 100 million people in the U.S., are in serious financial trouble and can't afford to be hemorrhaging tens of billions a year because of fraud.

Most people go to elaborate lengths to avoid having their scams detected. But there often is a telltale sign.

To document his transactions, wheelchair purveyor Nwafor assembled elaborate paper files, complete with bogus prescriptions and photos of beneficiaries in their wheelchairs. But investigators had a hunch they were on to something when they discovered that most of his customers lived nearly 200 miles away from his Los Angeles-area store.

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CCA's William F. Andrews Honored by Outstanding Directors Exchange

William F. Andrews, a member of the Board of Directors for CCA, the nation's largest and oldest partnership corrections company, has been named as a 2011 Outstanding Director by The Outstanding Directors Exchange.

Nashville, TN (Vocus/PRWEB) February 01, 2011

William F. Andrews, a member of the Board of Directors for CCA, the nation's largest and oldest partnership corrections company, has been named as a 2011 Outstanding Director by The Outstanding Directors Exchange. Andrews is one of only six corporate directors to receive the honor from a pool of more than 50 peer-nominated candidates.

“We believe there is no higher praise than to be singled out by your boardroom peers for going above and beyond the call of duty,” said Heather Wolf, director of the Outstanding Directors Program. "Bill Andrews helped CCA achieve a remarkable turnaround, safeguarding jobs, the provision of an important service and shareholder value."

The Outstanding Directors Exchange since 1998 has recognized more than 100 corporate board leaders for their commitment to corporate governance, with achievement and leadership exemplified during a crisis, business transformation or company turnaround.

"Bill embodies the best of the commitment, discipline, savvy and integrity demanded of Board leaders. He has served our company – our stakeholders and our shareholders – with unwavering accountability and high standards," said John Ferguson, Chairman of the CCA Board of Directors.

Andrews' record of Board leadership and involvement is extensive. He assumed the role of director and chairman of Executive Committee on CCA's Board of Directors in July 2008, after serving as CCA's Chairman of the Board since August 2000. He was a member of CCA's Board from 1986 until 1998, prior to the company's merger with Prison Realty Trust.

As a principal at Kohlberg & Company since 1995, Andrews has significant experience in financial markets and finance. Andrews was former chairman, president and CEO of Scovill Manufacturing. He also served as chairman, president and CEO of Singer Sewing Machine Company; president and CEO of UNR Industries, Inc.; chairman, president and CEO of Amdura Corporation; and chairman of Katy Industries.

Most recently, he served as chairman of Northwestern Steel and Wire Company and was a director of Juvenile and Jail Facility Management Services, Inc. He has also served as chairman of several privately held companies: Utica Corporation, Schrader Bridgeport International, Inc., Scovill Fastners, Inc. and Allied Aerospace Corp.

Andrews is a graduate of the University of Maryland and holds a master's degree in business administration from Seton Hall University.

About CCACCA is the nation’s largest provider of partnership corrections to federal, state and local government, operating more than 60 facilities, including more than 40 company-owned facilities, with approximately 90,000 beds, in 19 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to providing the residential services for inmates, CCA facilities offer rehabilitation and educational programs, including education, vocation, religious services, life skills and employment training and substance abuse treatment. For more, visitand .

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Louise GrantCCA(615) 263-3106Email Information