Abington Memorial Hospital, which does business as Abington Hospital – Jefferson Health (AMH), has agreed to pay the United States $491,672 to resolve allegations that an AMH employee forged physician signatures on forms submitted to the Medicare program for home care services.
The scheme was uncovered in June 2016, when AMH disclosed its discovery that during a period beginning in May 2014, its affiliated home care agency, Jefferson Abington Health Home Care and Hospice, had submitted claim forms on which an AMH employee had improperly cut-and-pasted the required physician signatures.
According to the allegations, there was no legitimate physician authorization on these forms, which is a requirement for Medicare reimbursement.
Abington Memorial Hospital promptly reported the conduct to the government and took corrective measures to prevent such conduct from recurring. These measures include terminating the employee responsible and installing a computer program that requires physicians’ electronic signatures, eliminating the need for AMH to obtain physical signatures.
“Medicare beneficiaries are entitled to receive care that is determined by their clinical needs, and if health providers wish to be reimbursed with taxpayer funds, they must follow the rules and ensure that the services they provided were properly authorized and documented,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Louis D. Lappen.
The case was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Paul W. Kaufman and Mark J. Sherer.
Defendant: Abington Memorial Hospital
Criminal Charges: False Claims Act Liability for Improper Medicare Reimbursement Submissions
City and State: Abington, Pennsylvania
Exact Date: June 2016
Sentence or Outcome: $491,672 settlement
Dollar Amount: $491,672
Abington Memorial Hospital, a well-known healthcare provider in Abington, Pennsylvania, has agreed to pay $491,672 to settle allegations that an employee forged physician signatures on forms submitted to the Medicare program for home care services.
Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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