A former Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) occupational therapist came out against the hospital chain for submitting false claims across 18 states. This isn’t the first hospital whistleblower who has filed suit against the company.
About The False Claims Act
Congress originally passed the False Claims Act during the Civil War. It was to protect the U.S. from treacherous contactors supplying the Union with faulty weapons and failing supplies. Congress has adjusted the act over the years to become one of the government’s premier tools for policing corporate fraud.
When a knowledgeable attorney like those found at The Michael Brady Lynch Firm files a False Claims Act lawsuit, he or she files it under a seal. This means it is completely confidential. There is also a full disclosure statement in the suit, which details the evidence collected by a whistleblower. You could be entitled to 15-30% of the funds recovered. In order to receive the reward, you must be the first one to file a case under the False Claims Act. This is why it is key to pick an experienced attorney to work quickly to get your compensation.
Hospital Whistleblower Alerts to Overbilling Practices
The hospital whistleblower noticed that HCA secured higher reimbursement rates from the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System than it could obtain from the Inpatient Prospective Payment System. Inpatient hospitals can receive higher rates if a patient has an acute diagnosis like myopathy. Therefore, the hospital chain falsely claimed that many patients across 18 states had acute diagnoses when they did not.
The Justice Department will not investigate further. Also, the hospital whistleblower claims retaliation occurred against her when she complained that therapists left patients unsupervised in “group therapy” sessions to do paperwork in another room. Yet, billed the time as active therapy.
Plus, there was no training for inputting information for the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Patient Assessment Instrument. Many would simply submit claims for unnecessary care, fake diagnoses, false direct therapy time, and claims with missing or backdated physician orders. The clinical director supported this behavior. In fact, he instructed staff to rely on physical symptoms rather than diagnostic tests. This tactic inflates the numbers of acute diagnosis claims like myopathy.
HCA is also facing another hospital whistleblower suit in California federal court over similar allegations. A former HCA nurse claims that billed intensive-care unit, medical-surgical and telemetry services on an inpatient basis. However, the patient was still in the emergency department.
Let Us Represent You & Your Whistleblower Claim
The Michael Brady Lynch Firm has successfully represented thousands of consumers and recovered millions of dollars for their clients. Attorneys recognize our team as some of the most experienced and successful in the country. They frequently seek out our award-winning staff for our knowledge on complex litigation, scientific evidence development, negotiation strategies, and trial tactics.
Most of all, our law office is resourceful and dedicated to pursuing any compensation you are due. Because of this, we have received a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement, such as inclusion on numerous Plaintiff Steering Committees. We will take whatever legal measures are necessary when fighting for your rights to damages.
Therefore, if you believe you have uncovered evidence of fraud involving a government-funded program, contact us today. Our attorneys have represented many clients in the past with complex cases. We will work tirelessly to obtain results on your behalf.