Cardiology False Claims Suit Jeopardizes Christ Hospital's Participation in Medicare, Medicaid

Tags: Christ Hospital | False Claims Act | Medicare | reimbursements

Following a $108 million settlement to resolve a federal whistleblower case alleging improper financial incentives to cardiologists, Cincinnati's Christ Hospital may be excluded from Medicare and Medicaid, according to a report in the Business Courier of Cincinnati.

Hospital officials refused to sign a corporate integrity agreement that would have allowed for more stringent government oversight, and in light of the refusal, HHS' notice of possible exclusion from the federal programs was not a surprise, a hospital spokeswoman said in the report. Any exclusion from Medicare and Medicaid would have to first be approved by the courts, according to the report.

The whistleblower lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati under the False Claims Act by cardiologist Harry Fry, MD, alleged that cardiologists were allocated time at the Heart Station – a center for non-invasive heart procedures – based on how many coronary artery bypass grafts and how much cardiac catheter lab revenue they generated for Christ Hospital, according to the report.

Read the Business Courier of Cincinnati report on Christ Hospital.

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