In June 2016, Abington disclosed to the DOJ that its affiliated home care agency had submitted improper claims to Medicare after an employee forged physician signatures on claim forms.
In addition to reporting the illegal conduct, Abington reversed any improper claims to Medicare that it had submitted in the past year and already repaid Medicare the reimbursement it received for those claims. The hospital also took corrective action to help prevent similar issues from occurring in the future, according to the DOJ.
Commenting on the settlement agreement, Acting U.S. Attorney Louis D. Lappen said, “Medicare beneficiaries are entitled to receive care that is determined by their clinical needs, and if health providers wish to be reimbursed with taxpayer funds, they must follow the rules and ensure that the services they provided were properly authorized and documented.”
Mr. Lappen commended Abington for disclosing the issue and improving its billing practices.
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