Hefty fine of $37 million to be paid by Dignity Health for overbilling patients
Source: diabetesinsider.com
by Shelly Fraley
The San-Francisco based Dignity Hospital represents one of the nation’s five largest systems. While their spokespeople claim that they are not at fault, they have been fined $37 million which will have to be handed over to the government. They have been submitting bills at 13 out of their 39 hospitals on Nevada, Arizona and California for inpatient care. The Justice Department says that they should have charged lesser than outpatient rates.
Earlier known as Catholic Healthcare West, the three-state Dignity Hospital has been overbilling the military health care program and Medicare for the past years.
Whistleblower Kathleen Hawkins shed light on these misdoings when she sued the hospital. She has been awarded a sum of $6.25 million as a settlement sum. Kathleen Hawkins was a former Health worker at Dignity hospital.
The Justice Department explains how various bills for stent placements, pacemakers and elective cardiovascular surgeries such as kyphoplasty and other spinal operations were being billed to Medicare as well as Tricare between 2006 and 2010. From 20000 and 2008 the bills were being sent for different types of surgeries.
FULL story at link.
Read more: http://diabetesinsider.com/hefty-fine-37-million-paid-dignity-health-overbilling-patients/36145
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