HCA Signs $631-Million Accord to Settle Medicare Fraud Charges
From Associated Press
HCA Inc. and Justice Department officials signed an agreement Thursday that calls for the hospital firm to pay $631 million in civil penalties and damages to settle Medicare fraud charges.
The settlement, announced in December, resolves what federal officials called the department’s most comprehensive health-care fraud investigation. It brings HCA’s fines and penalties over the years to $1.7 billion.
In the mid-1990s, whistle-blowers accused HCA of filing false claims for reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid and paying kickbacks to doctors. The Nashville firm did not admit to wrongdoing.
HCA shares rose 29 cents Thursday to $32.19 on the New York Stock Exchange.