Federal Officials Restore Medicare Billing Privileges to Dr. Bryan Merrick in West Tennessee

Federal officials have restored Medicare billing privileges to Dr. Bryan Merrick, whose McKenzie Medical Center is located in the small West Tennessee city of McKenzie. The Tennessee Star led the way in reporting on the story of the well respected West Tennessee family practice doctor whose Medicare billing privileges were revoked in March under an Obama-era regulation over a reported $670 in billing errors. “Dr. Bryan Merrick has received word from federal officials that they are reversing an earlier decision to block Dr. Merrick from serving Medicare patients,” according to a statement released by the Office of Attorney Roy Herron on Tuesday, which can be read here: Dr. Merrick’s attorney, former state senator Roy Herron, was called on Monday by two of the several officials that Dr. Merrick and Herron had met with last Thursday in Baltimore. On the call the officials acknowledged to Herron how easily billing for the wrong one of two identically named persons could happen. The officials asked questions about actions taken by the McKenzie Medical Center to try to minimize clerical errors. After Herron explained those numerous preventive actions, the officials and Herron exchanged multiple emails. Late Monday, the officials confirmed that the Medicate revocation definitely would…

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Sen. Rand Paul Back at Work in Washington After Attack by Neighbor, Calls for Repealing Obamacare Individual Mandate

Rand Paul

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is back at work in the Senate after being attacked and seriously injured by a neighbor outside his home in Bowling Green on Nov. 3. Paul, who was hospitalized with several broken ribs and bruised lungs, returned to work Monday, tweeting that he was “still in a good deal of pain” but “ready to fight for liberty and help move forward with tax cuts in the coming days and weeks.” Kelley and I want to thank everyone once again for your thoughts and prayers for my recovery. While I’m still in a good deal of pain, I will be returning to work in the Senate today, ready to fight for liberty and help move forward with tax cuts in the coming days and weeks. — Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) November 13, 2017 Paul was attacked by anesthesiologist Rene Boucher after stepping off his riding lawn mower. Initial reports suggested a landscaping dispute between the two neighbors prompted the attack, but Paul’s office has said there no such quarrel and other neighbors are casting doubt on that explanation, according to Fox News. Boucher pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge. Paul’s office has been told to also…

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Trump Promises ‘Major Statement’ on Trade After Trip

Two became three as a scheduled Monday morning meeting between President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was expanded to include Japan’s Shinzo Abe. The change underscored the growing three-way relationship concerning regional security, especially regarding how to respond to North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, as well as countering China’s…

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Songwriter Lee Thomas Miller Announces Candidacy for GOP Nomination in 7th Congressional District

Songwriter Lee Thomas Miller launched his campaign for the Republican nomination to represent Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District from his home in Brentwood today. “I’m a songwriter, the smallest of ‘small business.’ I’m a small town guy who grew up being taught that every decision should be rooted in common sense. That patriotism and walking with God are part of everyday life. That nobody owes me anything- it’s up to me to earn what I get,” Miller said in his announcement statement. “I’m definitely not a politician and have no desire to ever become one!” he added. The conservative champion of religious liberty explained why he decided to enter the race to succeed Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07), who is running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Senator Bob Corker (R-TN). “I’ve been writing the stories of real Americans for as long as I can remember. Stories about life and loss. Love and regret. Songs about innocence and youth. Songs about faith and the struggle to keep it. I give a voice to those who can not find the words they are looking for. I give a voice to those who are not being heard,” Miller added in the statement…

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Grassroots Conservative Clay Doggett Announces Challenge to Boss Doss in Tennessee House District 70 GOP Primary

PULASKI, Tennessee – Grassroots conservative candidate Clay Doggett announced his run Monday for Tennessee House District 70, a seat currently held by the chief promoter of the gas-tax increasing IMPROVE Act, Barry “Boss” Doss. Doggett said of his decision to run that, like so many others before him, he was resolved “to stand up and protect the freedoms and liberties we now enjoy.” While Barry Doss’s role as champion of the IMPROVE Act, breaking rules and renaming it the Tax Cut Act of 2017, calls for an ethics investigation, and, subsequent to the passage of the Act, his provocative road work and front-row support of Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s $5.2 billion transit plan would have been an easy target for Doggett, he instead stayed remarkably focused on his own positions and qualifications. A Giles County native, Doggett made his announcement at the Staar Theater in the county seat of downtown Pulaski after an eloquent and touching introduction by his six-year-old son, Coell. While there were about 100 people in attendance at the historic venue, one could nearly hear a pin drop as the audience listened intently to Doggett’s message. After going to Giles County public schools and graduating from the…

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Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell Now Suing All 13 Shelby County Commissioners to Stop the Opioid Abuse Lawsuit They Filed

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell is now suing all thirteen Shelby County Commissioners to stop the opioid abuse lawsuit they filed earlier this month. But on Monday, the Shelby County Commission hit back, and voted “to direct Mayor Mark Luttrell to drop a lawsuit against its chairwoman over who controls an opioid lawsuit against Big Pharma,” the Commercial Appeal reported. “It’s a blatant bully tactic to try to scare commissioners into believing that they don’t have the right to vote and act as a check and balance on the executive branch,” Shelby County Commission Chairwoman Heidi Shafer told The Tennesssee Star in an exclusive interview late Monday. “I was proud of the commission for standing up to such bullying tactics,” Shafer told The Star. “The commission voted 8-5 to approve the resolution, which was added on to the agenda an hour into Monday’s meeting. The resolution also directs the administration not to file any lawsuits without prior approval from a majority of the commissioners,” as the Commercial Appeal reported, adding: Luttrell’s administration sued chairwoman Heidi Shafer and the commission on Nov. 6 for her decision to hire law firm New York-based Napoli Shkolnik, known for winning a huge class-action settlement for sick Ground Zero workers,…

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Pilot Flying J Trial in Chattanooga Reveals Details of Scheme to Defraud Truck Stop Customers

Defense attorneys for the highest-ranking Pilot Flying J executive charged in a fuel rebate scandal say former president Mark Hazelwood was too busy doing his job to be involved in the scheme, reports the Knoxville News-Sentinel. That also goes for CEO Jimmy Haslam, defense attorneys say. Jimmy Haslam, who has not been charged, is the brother of Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and owner of the Cleveland Browns football team. The truck stop giant is a Haslam family business. Gov. Haslam is no longer involved in its daily operations. The trial of Hazelwood and three others started last week on Monday in U.S. District Court in Chattanooga and is expected to last until at least late December. Former vice president of sales Scott Wombold and regional account representatives Heather Jones and Karen Mann are also standing trial in Chattanooga on charges of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. Hazelwood and Wombold deny involvement in the scheme and Jones and Mann have said they simply followed orders. In secret recordings made by a sales employee for investigators, Hazelwood’s voice can be heard in talk of the scheme. Haslam’s voice is not heard in any recordings that have been released. Prosecutors say Pilot…

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Tennessee Democratic Party Lurches to the Left With Progressive Resolutions

The Tennessee Democratic Party recently passed resolutions supporting “Medicare for All,” a $15 minimum wage and medical marijuana. The resolutions reflect the state party’s lurch to the left. They were passed by the executive committee Oct. 28 and detailed in a Nov. 2 news release. “Medicare for All” is a movement led by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and other progressives that would nationalize health care. “Too many Tennessee families cannot take their children to the doctor when they are sick because they can’t afford insurance,” said Will T. Cheek, a Democratic National Committee executive committee member from Nashville, in the news release. “Eight rural hospitals have closed since 2010 in Tennessee leaving entire communities with no emergency care. Tennessee Democrats are making it clear the priority has to be solving these problems and ensuring that health care is guaranteed to everyone and ‘Medicare for All’ does exactly that.” However, Steven Rattner, a Wall Street executive who advised the treasury secretary under former President Obama, wrote an op-ed for the New York Times Oct. 24 saying that supporting “Medicare for All” would be a mistake for Democrats. Rattner wrote: As a centrist Democrat, I’m scared to see my party pulled into positions that…

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Bob Gamgort, Keurig CEO, Apologizes For ‘Taking Sides’ as Sean Hannity Fans Smash Coffee Makers

Keurig CEO Bob Gamgort apologized to employees Monday for the negative attention brought to the brand after announcing on Twitter that it had stopped running ads during Sean Hannity’s Fox News show. Fox News fans started a #BoycottKeurig hashtag and uploaded videos of them smashing and setting coffee makers on fire after the company announced on…

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A North Korean Soldier Risked Everything to Escape Kim Jong-un, But He’s Not Out of the Woods Yet

Kim Jong-un If you happened to be looking for concrete examples of North Korea attempting to crush dissent this Monday morning, look no further than this story of a soldier being shot while defecting to South Korea. RELATED: Kellyanne Conway responds to Trump’s “short and fat” tweet South Korea has announced that an unnamed soldier defecting…

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Rep. Marsha Blackburn Releases Video Backing President Trump’s Immigration Policies

U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-7) on Monday released a video in which she expressed support for President Trump’s immigration policies. Blackburn, who is running for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), says in the video: I support the president’s goals and his plan on immigration. He is right to require Congress to get in there and figure out this entry-exit program, and how our visas are issued. Forty percent of those that are illegally in the country are here because they have overstayed a visa. So, the American people for a variety of reasons have said let’s secure this southern border. Yes, part of it will be a wall, part of it is probably going to be increased surveillance. Part of it is going to be other technology. The good thing is the border patrol is leading a lot of this discussion in saying this is what we need. And we in Congress need to give the border patrol what they see they need. What they tell us they need, in order to secure the southern border. On Thursday, Fox News published an op-ed by Blackburn in which she spoke out against sanctuary cities and discussed legislation…

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University of Tennessee-Knoxville to Host Presentation on Islamophobia Tonight

The University of Tennessee-Knoxville will host a speaker this evening who will talk about Islamophobia and social justice. Amer F. Ahmed’s presentation is called “Addressing Islamophobia: Dispelling Myths to Break Down Barriers” and is part of the university’s celebration of International Education Week. The school website says that Ahmed “skillfully interweaves social justice, diversity and inclusion, and intercultural frameworks to cultivate rich and meaningful dialogue with his audiences.” “This program will benefit participants interested in learning more about Islam and Islamophobia, providing needed context to bridge divides,” the website says. Born in Ohio to Indian Muslim immigrants, Ahmed is “an intercultural diversity consultant, college administrator, facilitator, poet and Hip Hop activist,” according to his website. He has held positions at Loras College in Iowa, Concordia College in Minnesota, the University of Michigan and Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. He is currently director of intercultural teaching and faculty development at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The growing emphasis on Islamophobia in recent years has been criticized by conservatives as an effort to downplay and distort the differences between Islam and other belief systems and for becoming a factor behind people being afraid to report potential terrorist activity despite “see something, say something” campaigns. Two years…

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Conservatives In House of Representatives Go On Offense Against Mueller

by ConservativeHQ.com Staff   Last week a group of principled conservatives in the U.S. House of Representatives did what Speaker of the House Paul Ryan will never do – they went on offense against the corrupt cabal protecting Hillary Clinton, James Comey, Robert Mueller and the rest of the insiders protecting the worst villains of the Obama-era swamp. Congressman Andy Biggs (AZ-05) led a special order on the U.S. House floor to shed light on the conflicts of interest of those in the previous administration. Joining Congressman Biggs on the floor were Rep. Mark Meadows, Rep. Jim Jordan, Rep. Matt Gaetz, Rep. Trent Franks, Rep. Louie Gohmert, Rep. Scott Perry, Rep. Ted Yoho, and Rep. Jody Hice. The topics covered included Robert Mueller, James Comey, Uranium One, Fusion GPS, the Trump dossier, Hillary Clinton, and the Clinton Foundation. Congressman Biggs gave these remarks in his opening statement: “As I recall the events of the past two years, it becomes clearer than ever that Robert Mueller should resign. If he does not resign, then he should be fired. We believe he has conflicts of interest that do not allow him to proceed with his investigation in an unbiased, independent manner. Further,…

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