Electronic health record (EHR) vendor NextGen Healthcare Inc. will pay $31 million to settle allegations it misrepresented its software capabilities and paid users for recommendations.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the settlement with the Nashville, Tennessee-based company, which describes itself as “a leading provider of innovative health care technology solutions.” DOJ claimed the company violated the federal False Claims Act and the Anti-Kickback Statute.
“Electronic health records are an essential part of our health care system,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton said in a news release. Boynton is head of DOJ's Civil Division.
“Every day, millions of patients and health care providers across the country rely on such records to accurately identify and transmit vital health information,” Boynton said. “The Civil Division is committed to protecting the integrity of the electronic health records software that is available to providers and the process by which they decide which software to select.”
The DOJ complaint claimed the company falsely obtained certification for software, based on the 2014 criteria published by the Office of the National Coordinator of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). That department requires independent testing and certification by laboratories authorized by HHS. NextGen allegedly obtained certification for software by using “an auxiliary product designed only to perform...
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