Health Law

Hospital to Pay Feds Based on Improper Physician Arrangement

By Todd Rodriguez

According to a Department of Justice Press Release, a Texas Hospital has agreed to pay the federal government close to a million dollars in settlement of allegations that the hospital violated the federal False Claims Act. Specifically, Arlington Memorial Hospital has agreed to pay the U.S. $990,509.50 to resolve allegations that it improperly submitted claims to Medicare for services ordered by physicians who were allegedly being paid by the hospital to perform unnecessary services. The DOJ alleged that the hospital paid a physician group for blood gas lab study interpretations even though such tests no longer required any professional interpretation, and then failed to correct such arrangement after learning of it (and self-disclosing it to the government).

Full post as published by Physician Law on January 11, 2010 (boomark / email).