According to representatives of the U.S. Attorney General’s office, Mercy used the “outlier” program, in which the federal government pays providers extra for taking on complicated procedures, to overcharge Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs. This is also the first time a hospital has been prosecuted in Iowa for these types of charges, according to the report.
Mercy denied all wrongdoing, and officials from the hospital called the investigation “unwarranted,” according to the report. The hospital has spent $1 million in legal fees defending itself against the allegations.
Read the Register’s report about the Mercy Medical Center’s settlement.
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