Recently, VHS of Michigan – doing business as The Detroit Medical Center Inc (DMC), Vanguard Health Systems Inc. (Vanguard), and Tenet Healthcare Corporation (Tenet) – agreed to pay $29,744,065 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by providing kickbacks to referring physicians.
DMC operates multiple hospitals in the Detroit region, including Sinai-Grace Hospital and Harper University Hospital. DMC operated as a nonprofit hospital system until 2010, when it transferred to join Vanguard Health Systems. Then, in October 2013, Tenet acquired Vanguard owned-and-operated hospitals and outpatient facilities, including DMC and the two aforementioned hospitals.
The settlement resolves allegations that DMC, Vanguard, and Tenet caused false or fraudulent claims to be submitted to Medicare. Specifically, the hospitals, Sinai-Grace and Harper University, leased the services of DMC-employed mid-level practitioners – such as nurse practitioners or physician assistants – to 13 physicians at either no cost or below fair market value, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS).
The government further alleged that the 13 physicians were chosen for this benefit because of the large number of patient referrals to the two hospitals involved, and the purpose of the arrangements was to induce the physicians to refer additional Medicare patients to DMC facilities. This allegedly took place from January 1, 2014, through December 31, 2017.
The case was initially...
By Luminous Jannamike The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has warned Rev. Isaac Omolehin of Word Assembly Ministry to retract what it described as false and defamatory claims about the body...