LOWER MERION — Saunders House in Wynnewood has been ordered to pay $819,640 to settle claims that the skilled nursing facility provided medically unnecessary rehabilitation therapy to residents to maximize revenue and without prioritizing clinical needs, United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced Friday.

The settlement resolves allegations in a whistleblower complaint filed in federal court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. These provisions allow private citizens to bring civil actions on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery.

The whistleblower, a physical therapist assistant who provided physical therapy services at Saunders House through his employment with a contracted therapy provider, generally alleged that Saunders House overbilled federal healthcare programs such as Medicare for therapy services.

He alleged that Saunders House overbilled federal healthcare programs such as Medicare for therapy services and billed for services not provided.

Other allegations were that they billed for unreasonable, unnecessary, and sometimes harmful therapy and allowed the therapy provider to manipulate clinical services to maximize billing.

“Focusing on profits over the needs of individual patients violates the public trust and creates a potential for harm of some of the most vulnerable among us,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “It also shifts taxpayers’ funds away from the vital services of...

Read Full Story: https://www.mainlinemedianews.com/2022/07/29/saunders-house-to-pay-more-than-...