Summit Hospice Settles $1.05 Million False Claims Case

Utah’s Summit Hospice has agreed to settle $1.05 million in False Claims Act violation charges.

The US Department of Justice has pointed out that the claims settled by the settlement agreement are allegations only, and liability has not been determined.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah investigated the allegations along with the state’s Medicaid Fraud Office and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Utah is among the 32 states that have adopted state FCA legislation in addition to federal laws/regulations.

A recent OIG report alleged that Summit Hospice violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by filing claims with Medicare and Medicaid for uncovered hospice services.

“Hospice care is an important service that should keep patients comfortable,” Kurt Muller, HHS-OIG Special Investigation Inspector, said in a DOJ statement. “Providers who focus on personal financial gain rather than providing medically necessary high-quality care to their patients undermine the integrity of these services. HHS-OIG will continue to work with our federal and state partners to ensure that hospice providers provide their patients with the care and comfort they need.”

The Department of Justice stated that between September 7, 2021 and October 1, 2018, Summit Hospice billed Medicare and Medicaid for hospice services that were not medically necessary for patients.

who were not terminally ill.

Trina A. Higgins, U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah, said in a statement that Summit Hospice filed a claim that it “did not have terminal illness documentation to be eligible for services.”

Hospice Summit denied the allegations.

Cases of FCA often depend on the patient’s eligibility for hospice care based on a six-month untreatable prognosis.

Across all healthcare settings, the federal government resolved about 350 FCA cases during 2022 and recovered almost $2.2 billion that same year, according to a report from law firm Foley Hoag LLP.

This was the second-highest volume of settlements and judgments in a single year, although the dollar amount is down from $5.6 million in 2021, the law firm said.

Content Source

California Press News – Latest News:
Los Angeles Local News || Bay Area Local News || California News || Lifestyle News || National news || Travel News || Health News

Related Articles

Back to top button