December 11, 2018

Coordinated Health Holding Company, LLC, a for-profit hospital and health system, and its founder, owner, and CEO, Emil DiIorio, M.D., have agreed to pay a combined $12.5 million to settle allegations of violating the False Claims Act in claims submitted to Medicare, Medicaid, and federal employee health insurers. From 2007 until 2014, under DiIorio’s direction, Coordinated Health allegedly exploited a billing code called Modifier 59 in order to separately bill for orthopedic surgery charges that, properly billed, instead fall under a single “global” payment for each surgery. Even after outside consultants warned company executives about the improper practice in 2011 and 2013 and provided on-site training on the proper use of Modifier 59, Coordinated Health continued making false claims, causing federal healthcare payers to overpay by millions of dollars. As part of the settlement, the company has signed a Corporate Integrity Agreement for additional government oversight into its billing practices over the next five years. USAO EDPA

Tagged in: Bundling and Unbundling, FCA Federal, Healthcare Fraud, Medicaid, Medical Billing Fraud, Medicare, Other Government Health Programs,