Whitesburg ARH Hospital Agreed to Pay $5.8 Million for Allegedly Violating the Civil Monetary Penalties Law by Paying Improper Remuneration in the Form of Staff Costs

After it self-disclosed conduct to OIG, Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Inc. d/b/a Whitesburg ARH Hospital (Whitesburg), Whitesburg, Kentucky, entered into a $5,889,976.74 settlement agreement with OIG. Whitesburg disclosed that it had certain agreements with a health center (HC), through which HC’s employed advanced practice registered nurses (APNs) performed hospital services for Whitesburg. The settlement agreement resolves allegations that Whitesburg offered and paid remuneration to HC in the form of costs paid by Whitesburg that HC should have borne when HC’s employed APNS were performing services on behalf of HC.