September 26, 2018

Health Management Associates, LLC (HMA)—now part of Community Health Systems Inc. (CHS)—has agreed to pay a combined $260 million to settle civil and criminal charges of defrauding Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE and violating the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Stark Law, and False Claims Act. The alleged fraud was revealed by eight whistleblowers and involved paying kickbacks to doctors for patient referrals, pressuring doctors to meet emergency patient admission quotas, billing outpatient or observational services as inpatient services, and inflating the cost of emergency services. The eight whistleblowers have been granted a combined $27 million award so far. DOJ; USAO EDPA; USAO SDFL; USAO WDNC

Tagged in: Anti-Kickback and Stark, FCA Federal, Healthcare Fraud, Hospital Fraud, Medical Billing Fraud, Other Government Health Programs, Whistleblower Rewards,