1. Provide the title of your story or series and the names of the journalists involved.
"Kids caught in the Medicaid pay crossfire"
"Tylenol recall: Serious side effects investigated"
"Tylenol plant: From bad to worse"
"Behind the phantom recall of Motrin"
All by Parija Kavilanz.
2. List date(s) this work was published or aired.
The stories ran between March and June 2010.
3. Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
"Kids caught in the Medicaid crossfire" brought to light a troubling trend of physicians, specifically pediatricians and pediatric specialists, who are either no longer taking new Medicaid patients or even dropping existing Medicaid patients because the felt that the payment from the government program was not adequately covering their business costs. The story illustrated the trend through the real life example of Dr. Jaquelin Gotlieb, an Atlanta-area pediatrician who still accepts Medicaid patients while many of her peers no longer do. Her frustration as a doctor is the difficulty she faces in finding specialists for her young Medicaid patients because many specialists in her area also no longer accept Medicaid. This story is being played out nationally, with many young children being caught in the reimbursement crossfire between doctors and the government-run health care programs.
The other three entries explore a drug recall. Less than a month after Johnson & Johnson's McNeil unit recalled more than 50 children's versions of these non-prescription Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl and other drugs on April 30, 2010 for serious quality and safety concerns, the company remained tightlipped about the specific problems with those drugs, manufacturing problems at the plant that made those recalled drugs and consumers complaints received about the recalled drugs. CNNMoney.com was the first to report the extent of the manufacturing problems at the McNeil's plant in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania where the recalled drugs were made. CNNMoney.com was the first to report that the recalled children's possibly contained small metal parts and that the Food and Drug Administration had received at least 775 consumer complaints about McNeil's recalled drugs. CNNMoney.com was also among the first to report how McNeil may have attempted a secret recall of some Motrin products in 2009 buy hiring a contractor to clandestinely remove the drugs from store shelves without fully disclosing its actions to the Food and Drug Administration.
4. Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
"Kids caught in the Medicaid crossfire" used data on Medicaid payment rates from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. American Academy of Pediatrics' January (2010) survey of 290 physicians in Georgia about changes they would make to their practice and patient admissions if the state cut their Medicaid reimbursement rates.
"Tylenol recall: Serious side effects investigated" used documents provided by the Congressional Committee on Oversight and Government reform, which has been investigating McNeil's non-prescription drug recalls. Multiple FOI requests were filed with the FDA in mid May. Through a FOI, CNNMoney.com requested any consumer complaints about any products manufactured at McNeil plants, including but not limited to McNeil Fort Washington, from 2005 to 2010. Through a FOI, CNNMoney.com requested all FDA inspection reports, including 483 reports, of the McNeil Fort Washington, Pa. plant from 2003 to 2010. Through a FOI, CNNMoney.com requested all Adverse Events Reports received by the FDA from 2007 to the present regarding any product (children's or adults' over-the-counter medicines) manufactured at all McNeil plants. Through a FOI, CNNMoney.com requested any investigations by the FDA into McNeil manufacturing plants, including but not limited to McNeil Fort Washington, from 2005 to 2010. The FOI requested resulted in CNNMoney.com getting access to hundred of consumer complaints that were made about drugs made at McNeil plants, many of which have been recalled. The FOI also yielded troubling inspection reports of McNeil's drug manufacturing plants going back to 2003.
"Tylenol plant: From bad to worse" used documents provided by the Congressional Committee on Oversight and Government reform, which has been investigating McNeil's non-prescription drug recalls. Multiple FOI requests were filed with the FDA in mid May. Through a FOI, CNNMoney.com requested any consumer complaints about any products manufactured at McNeil plants, including but not limited to McNeil Fort Washington, from 2005 to 2010. Through a FOI, CNNMoney.com requested all FDA inspection reports, including 483 reports, of the McNeil Fort Washington, Pa. plant from 2003 to 2010. Through a FOI, CNNMoney.com requested all Adverse Events Reports received by the FDA from 2007 to the present regarding any product (children's or adults' over-the-counter medicines) manufactured at all McNeil plants. Through a FOI, CNNMoney.com requested any investigations by the FDA into McNeil manufacturing plants, including but not limited to McNeil Fort Washington, from 2005 to 2010. The FOI requested resulted in CNNMoney.com getting access to hundred of consumer complaints that were made about drugs made at McNeil plants, many of which have been recalled. The FOI also yielded troubling inspection reports of McNeil's drug manufacturing plants going back to 2003.
"Behind the ‘phantom recall' of Motrin" used documents provided by the FDA and Congressional Committee on Oversight and Government reform, which has been investigating McNeil's non-prescription drug recalls.
5. Explain types of human sources used.
"Kids caught in the Medicaid pay crossfire": Dr. Jaquelin Gotlieb, a pediatrician based in the Atlanta area. Mary Kahn, spokeswoman for the Center on Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dr. Judith Palfrey, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Dr. Avril Beckford, president of the Georgia chapter of the (AAP)
"Tylenol recall: Serious side effects investigated": Confidential sources at the FDA. Confidential sources with Committee on Oversight and Government Reform committee investigating Johnson & Johnson's drug recalls and drug manufacturing problems.
"Tylenol plant: From bad to worse": Confidential sources at the FDA. Confidential sources with Committee on Oversight and Government Reform committee investigating Johnson & Johnson's drug recalls and drug manufacturing problems and experts in the drug manufacturing process.
"Behind the ‘phantom recall' of Motrin": Confidential sources at the FDA. Confidential sources with Committee on Oversight and Government Reform committee investigating Johnson & Johnson's drug recalls and drug manufacturing problems. David Rosen, former FDA official and an expert on FDA regulations.
6. Results (if any).
"Kids caught in the Medicaid pay crossfire": The story received hundreds if responses from consumers as well as the medical community. Many of those responses are archived on CNNMoney.com, below the story. The story was also picked up by leading health care news websites such as Kaiser Health News.
"Tylenol recall: Serious side effects investigated": The story received more than 4,500 responses from CNNMoney.com and CNN readers and viewers. The story uncovered serious safety lapses and questionable ethical practices at one of the most venerable companies in America, Johnson & Johnson. The company's actions surrounding the recall of Tylenol and Children's Tylenol were of extreme interest to readers. As more recalls were announced, there was a sense of alarm — some of the products affected were intended for children. Kavilanz's reporting and perseverance exposed questionable practices and helped readers comprehend the true risks. Her work was closely scrutinized by the industry, regulators and lawmakers.
"Tylenol plant: From bad to worse" and "Behind the ‘phantom recall' of Motrin": The story received hundred of responses from CNNMoney.com and CNN readers and viewers. Many of those responses are archived on CNNMoney.com, below the story. Parija Kavilanz was the first to dig into the troubling conditions at Johnson & Johnson's drug production facilities. Her reporting uncovered "shocking conditions" at the company's McNeil plant in Pennsylvania. Kavilanz was tenacious in her reporting when other news outlets were not. Her reporting unearthed a lax safety culture at the Johnson & Johnson unit that produced some of America's most popular drugs, such as Tylenol. One of the most shocking discoveries was the risks that were being posed by contaminated Children's Tylenol. Kavilanz was tipped off to even more troubling information: The company had conducted a "phantom recall" of some drugs by removing drugs from store shelves without correctly disclosing their actions to the FDA. This drew the attention of lawmakers at the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform who along with the FDA initiated an investigation into the matter, culminating with Jonson & Johnson CEO William Weldon's testimony admitting that the company misled regulators. Kavilanz's reporting and perseverance exposed questionable practices and helped readers comprehend the true risks. Her work was closely scrutinized by the industry, regulators and lawmakers. New legislation was introduced to change that. Kavilanz also faced close scrutiny from the industry and others who rallied to defend Johnson & Johnson. Ultimately it was her reporting that not only brought the problems to light but that set the wheels in motion to try and remedy them.
7. Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No.
8. Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
"Kids caught in the Medicaid pay crossfire": When writing about a health care trend, finding a real-life example to illustrate the issues really helps to bring the story alive and make it more relatable to a broader audience.
For the other three: Don't expect companies to be forthcoming with information, especially when reporters are covering some negative news about their business. Instead, be creative and look for other ways to obtain more information. FOIs are a great tool available to any member of the public. A simple Google search often surfaces former company employees, who after being properly vetted, can become invaluable resources to reporters.