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Physical therapist accused of fraudulent billing is given a warning
A physical therapist accused of fraudulently claiming payment for services he never provided can keep his license, a state panel has ruled. The Iowa Board of Physical and Occupational Therapists recently charged physical therapist Scott Varilek of Sioux City with violating a state regulation that prohibits therapists from obtaining third-party payments – typically made by […]
Restaurant inspection update: Eateries are shut down due to food-safety issues
State, city and county food inspectors have cited Iowa restaurants and stores for hundreds of food-safety violations during the past five weeks, including spoiled food, rodent droppings and cricket-infested rice. At least five eateries — including full-service restaurants, a food truck and a convenience store — agreed to temporarily shut down their food service operations […]
Internet personality agrees to refund Iowans’ foreclosure-consulting fees
A Florida internet personality and “foreclosure consultant,” accused of committing fraud while targeting Iowans who faced the loss of their homes, has agreed to stop doing business in Iowa. The Iowa attorney general’s office alleges that Summit Software Systems of Jacksonville, Florida, and its owner, Roberto Boligan, have violated Iowa’s Consumer Fraud Act. Boligan is […]
Amid new disclosures, state’s position on licensing boards remains unclear
The state of Iowa has now disclosed the allegations of impropriety it levied against an Ottumwa chiropractor seven months ago. The records show the chiropractor faced disciplinary charges related to the same alleged conduct in 2022, resulting in his license being suspended and then reinstated. This time, the conduct resulted in the chiropractor agreeing to […]
Care facility resident dies after being found soaked in blood
A resident of a Williamsburg care facility died after a nine-hour delay in receiving medical care for multiple serious injuries she sustained in a fall, according to state officials. State inspection reports indicate that at 9:45 p.m. on June 2, 2023, a nurse aide at the Highland Ridge Care Center in Williamsburg found a female […]
Iowa woman with fraudulent nursing degree challenges license revocation
A Cedar Rapids woman is contesting the state’s decision to revoke her license, arguing she’s the innocent victim of the Florida diploma mill that awarded her a fraudulent degree in nursing. According to records of the Iowa Board of Nursing, Helena Dahnweih of Cedar Rapids first submitted an application for licensure in Iowa as a […]
Tenants of senior-living complex sue over alleged bed bug infestation
The owners of a large senior-living complex in Waterloo are facing a class-action lawsuit brought by tenants over an alleged, long-running bed bug infestation. Theresa Allen, a current tenant of Walnut Court apartments, and Gary Montgomery, a former tenant of the complex, are suing 315 Walnut Co-Op and Larson Management, the two companies that own […]
Starbucks sues Iowa union over social-media posts on Israel-Hamas conflict
Starbucks, the international coffee retailer, is suing an Iowa City labor union over its social-media posts about the Israel-Hamas conflict. In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Starbucks alleges the “inflammatory and misleading communications” by Iowa City Starbucks Workers United have led to property damage, threats and calls […]
Licensing boards move to restrict public access to disciplinary information
A state licensing board is not disclosing the alleged wrongdoing that prompted an Iowa chiropractor with a history of sex offenses to surrender his license. The state appears to have adopted a sweeping new policy that treats as confidential all of the alleged “factual circumstances” that give rise to licensing board charges in disciplinary cases […]
Clive hotel, uninspected for two years, faces a second bed bug lawsuit
A central-Iowa hotel that hasn’t been inspected by the state for more than two years is facing its second lawsuit this year over an alleged bed bug infestation. Rick and Lori Graff of Rush Springs, Oklahoma, are suing Siva Hotels, the owner of the Super 8 hotel on Forest Avenue in Clive. The Graffs, who […]
Board: Pharmacist stole a ‘significant’ amount of narcotics
An Iowa pharmacist accused of stealing a “significant” amount of narcotics has agreed to surrender his license to practice. Josef Blunier, who now resides in Illinois, held the title of pharmacist in charge at Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center in Fort Madison from 2012 through August 2023, according to state records. During that time, Blunier […]
Court order sought requiring pharmacies to fill controversial COVID-19 prescriptions
An Iowa physician is seeking a court order that would require pharmacies to fill prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19. The order is being sought as part of a civil lawsuit brought by Dr. David Hartsuch, an emergency medicine physician from Bettendorf, against the Iowa Board of Medicine and Iowa Board […]