WHISTLEBLOWER: Texas Children’s Hospital whistleblower nurse Vanessa Sivadge is speaking publicly after a…

WHISTLEBLOWER: Texas Children’s Hospital whistleblower nurse Vanessa Sivadge is speaking publicly after a $10 million False Claims Act settlement involving alleged Medicaid fraud tied to gender-transition treatments for minors. Sivadge says the hospital used patients’ preferred gender and names in medical records and entered diagnoses such as “testosterone deficiency” for teenage girls and “estrogen deficiency” for teenage boys in order to obtain Medicaid reimbursement. She later became a government witness in the case. The settlement did not include a formal admission of liability, but according to Sivadge’s attorney, Texas Children’s agreed to acknowledge that it had misled the public, remove statements attacking Sivadge’s credibility, establish a clinic for detransitioners, and remove certain doctors’ admitting privileges within the hospital system. Sivadge says she was fired after going public and was later visited and questioned by the FBI. The outcome means the allegations resulted in a major financial settlement and significant institutional changes, even though the case was resolved without a trial.