• About John Howley
JOHN HOWLEY, ESQ.
  • About John Howley

Regional Hospital Settles False Claims Act Allegations for $3.6 Million After Voluntary Disclosure

6/30/2012

0 Comments

 
Maury Regional Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee has agreed to pay $3.6 million to settle False Claims Act allegations that it overcharged Medicare for ambulance services.

After the 275-bed hospital’s compliance program discovered that some ambulance trips had been made for medically unnecessary issues and that the paperwork for some trips was incomplete or incorrect, the hospital voluntarily disclosed the overcharges to the local U.S. Attorney and the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services.

Based upon an audit of billings conducted by Maury Regional, the government alleged that medical center submitted certain claims and received payment for: (1) ambulance services that were not medically necessary or for which medical necessity was not documented; (2) ambulance services for which a Physician Certification Statement was not obtained; (3) ambulance services that were assigned an incorrect transport level; (4) ambulance services for which the requisite signatures were not obtained; and (5) ambulance services that were billed with incorrect mileage units.  The time period covered by the settlement agreement spans January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2009.
 
The hospital blamed an outside company that processed billing for ambulance transport claims with Medicare.  Those billing functions have since been brought in house.

The government commended Maury Regional for making the disclosure and for working closely with enforcement agencies to resolve the problems now and going forward.

John Howley, Esq.
New York, New York

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    John Howley, Esq.
    350 Fifth Avenue 59FL
    New York, NY 10118
    (212) 601-2728

    Employment Law

    Healthcare Fraud

    Whistleblower Rewards

Do You Need a Speaker for Your Event?

John Howley is a dynamic and inspirational speaker who addresses the most important legal issues of our time with thoughtfulness and humor.  To find out how you can get him to speak at your next event, call us today at (212) 601-2728.
Click to Call

Follow Us

Follow John Howley, Esq. on social media for the latest legal news and updates.



​John Howley, Esq. | 1345 6th Ave 2nd floor | New York, NY 10105 | (212) 601-2728
​
​Copyright (c) 2012-2022 by John Howley, Esq.  This web site is for educational purposes only,  It does not provide legal advice, nor does it solicit clients seeking legal advice or representation.  To the extent it may be considered attorney advertising, readers are cautioned that prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
  • About John Howley