Dubuis Health System and Southern Crescent Hospital for Specialty Care, Inc. (Southern Crescent) have agreed to pay the United States $8,000,000 to settle allegations that they submitted false claims to Medicare. Dubuis Health System manages long-term acute care hospitals in multiple states, including Southern Crescent. Southern Crescent is a long-term acute care hospital located in Riverdale, Georgia.
Long term acute care hospitals are similar to typical acute care hospitals except that they are certified to focus on patients with more complex medical needs who, on average, remain in the hospital more than 25 days. Long term acute care hospitals receive a higher rate of Medicare reimbursement than do typical acute care hospitals.
This settlement resolves allegations that between 2003 and 2009, Dubuis Health System and Southern Crescent knowingly kept patients hospitalized beyond the time considered to be medically necessary, to increase their Medicare reimbursement and to maintain Southern Crescent’s classification as a long-term acute care facility.
This matter was initiated by a former administrator at Southern Crescent, who filed a whistleblower complaint under the False Claims Act. As a result of this settlement, the whistleblower will receive $2,160,000 of the United States’ recovery
For more information on this case, click here: http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/July/13-civ-851.html