Dallas-area hospital to pay nearly $1M in false claims suit

A Dallas-area hospital has agreed to pay nearly $1 million after for allegedly submitting unnecessary pulmonology claims to Medicare between 2003 and 2007. 

Arlington Memorial Hospital's parent company, Texas Health Resources, self-reported AMH to HHS's Office of the Inspector General in August 2007 after discovering that arterial blood gas tests conducted by a paid doctor group-and approved by the hospital's former president--did not need professional interpretation. Medicare still paid for the tests. 

According to a press release, the Office of the Inspector General said that AMH "knowingly failed...to eliminate payments to the group for the interpretations of the ABG tests" not performed. The OIG also claimed that AMH knew those payments to be non-compliant with federal legal requirements. 

By virtue of the settlement, AMH will pay the U.S. $990,509.50, but admits to no wrong-doing. 

For more:
- here's the press release

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