Government Settles False Claims Act Allegations against Optim Healthcare
SAVANNAH, GA: Optim Healthcare, based in Savannah, and others have agreed to pay the United States a total of $4 million to settle allegations that they submitted false claims to the Government. The settlement announced today resolves allegations that between 2008 and 2012, Optim Healthcare, through its physician-owned hospital in Tattnall County and through its ambulatory surgical center in Savannah, submitted claims for surgical and other medical procedures to Medicare that were: (1) improperly inflated, (2) misidentified in order to receive a higher rate of reimbursement, and (3) in violation of the federal prohibition against physician self-referrals, commonly known as the Stark Law. The Stark Law is intended to ensure that a physician's medical judgment is not compromised by improper financial incentives and is based solely on the best interests of the patient.
Action Details
- Date:August 14, 2014
- Agency:U.S. Attorney
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Enforcement Types:
- Criminal and Civil Actions