Cops: Truckers duped by woman impersonating doctor

A California truck driver pulled into the Blue Beacon Truck Wash in central Pennsylvania and spotted an advertisement for low-cost health exams for truckers. Needing one for his commercial driver's license, he called the number on the sign and was picked up by a woman in an old Ford Tempo.

She drove him to her town house, where she performed the $65 physical, had him provide a urine sample and faxed the required forms to the California Department of Transportation.

It all seemed a bit odd to trucker Todd Wakefield, whose suspicions were heightened when California authorities told him about irregularities in the paperwork. After some clever sleuthing of his own, Wakefield turned his findings over to Pennsylvania State Police — who say they uncovered a scam that snagged at least 16 commercial drivers they know about, and probably more they don't.

Police were looking for more possible victims Tuesday after charging Joann Wingate, a 56-year-old chiropractor from Carlisle whose license was suspended, with swiping the identity of a psychiatrist with the same last name to perform bogus exams on commercial truck drivers who needed them to maintain their licenses.

Wingate was charged Friday, posted $10,000 bail and was released Monday from Cumberland County Prison. She faces a preliminary hearing July 16 on charges of forgery, identity theft, impersonation, fraud and related offenses.

The phone number that state police said she used to advertise was still in service Tuesday. It answered with a recorded message that promoted services ranging from physical exams for truckers to drug testing for bath salts, oxycodone and other substances. The recording offered a "free five-minute shuttle from all Carlisle truck stops," and gave another number to call for 24-hour service.

This undated booking photo provided by the Pennsylvania State Police on July 1, 2014 shows Joann Win …

A woman who answered the phone at that number identified herself as Wingate but declined to comment.

State records show that Wingate's chiropractic license was suspended indefinitely in the fall after regulators found she had been offering trucker physicals at least since 2009. It wasn't clear Tuesday whether regulators made a criminal referral to police as a result of their investigation, and a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of State declined to comment.

Wingate continued to advertise after her suspension and, since Jan. 1, performed physicals on 16 drivers licensed in Pennsylvania, police said.

She examined Wakefield, the California trucker, on June 1. After talking to authorities in that state and researching Wingate on the Internet, Wakefield concluded she wasn't who she seemed to be, police said. The trucker contacted the ersatz physician the day after his exam, and she agreed to refund his money.

While meeting with her, Wakefield managed to snap a picture of her medical examiner's certificate. He later shared it with state police, who noted it bore the license number of a psychiatrist from the Philadelphia area.

The psychiatrist told police she didn't perform physicals and had never been to Carlisle, a town about 20 miles from the state capital of Harrisburg.

State police searched Wingate's home last week and said they found "a large quantity of medical documents and forms related to DOT physicals," as well as signs and brochures. They also found a small quantity of marijuana and a marijuana pipe, court documents said.

State police said that truckers who believe they were victimized should contact them.

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Doctor: Ohio man revives 45 mins after heart stops

WEST CARROLLTON, Ohio (AP) — A man whose heart stopped beating for 45 minutes credits his faith for being alive and says stunned doctors who declared him dead aren't sure what happened.

The body of diesel mechanic Tony Yahle was being prepared by nurses to be seen by his family Aug. 5 when he began to show signs of life, doctors said. He fully awakened at the hospital five days later.

Yahle, a 37-year-old West Carrollton resident, has been a topic of conversation since, said cardiologist Dr. Raja Nazir.

"In the last 20 years, I've never seen anybody who we have pronounced dead ... and then for him to come back, I've never seen it," Nazir told the Dayton Daily News (http://bit.ly/1516ptK). "Actually, I've never heard of it."

Yahle says it's a miracle and that doctors couldn't find any defects in his heart. Their last guess was that it was all the result of a possible viral infection, he said.

Yahle's teenage son said he spoke to his father shortly before he revived, the newspaper reported Tuesday.

"I pointed at him and said, 'Dad, you're not going to die today,'" said 18-year-old Lawrence Yahle. "I stood there for a few more seconds. I was about to walk back to comfort the family, and that's when he started showing signs of a heartbeat."

The teen said he "went from hopeless to hope in an instant."

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Doctor stops accepting insurance, lowers prices and posts costs online

File photo of doctor's exam room (Thinkstock)

A family practice doctor in Maine is refusing all forms of health insurance, including Medicare, in order, he says, to provide better service to his patients.

Dr. Michael Ciampi told the Bangor Daily News that he wants to practice medicine without being dictated to by insurance companies.

On April 1, Ciampi lowered his prices and posted the costs online. For example, an office visit in which patients discuss "one issue of moderate complexity or 2-3 simple issues" costs $75. When Ciampi accepted insurance, the visit would run $160, according to the Bangor Daily News.

The fact that Ciampi lists the prices, he says, means no surprises for his patients.

Say you're an established patient who can't make it to the doctor's office but wish to speak to him over the phone? A 10-minute conversation will run you $20. Each additional five-minute block will cost you $10. A minor surgery, like the draining of a boil will cost between $100 and $150.

Dr. Ciampi told the paper that some patients have left his practice, but that all seem to understand what motivated him to make the change.

Via the Banger Daily News:

Insurance companies no longer dictate how much he charges. He can offer discounts to patients struggling with their medical bills.

He can make house calls. "I’m freed up to do what I think is right for the patients," Ciampi said. "If I’m providing them a service that they value, they can pay me, and we cut the insurance out as the middleman and cut out a lot of the expense."

Ciampi told the paper that he collects payment at the end of each session (he doesn't send bills), and he sees each patient himself. Patients with insurance can submit their receipts for reimbursement, if the insurance company allows for that, according to Ciampi's family practice site.

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