The U.S. Department of Justice has upped the ante against Waycross, Ga.-based Satilla Regional Medical Center and Dr. Najam Azmat. In April, the United States intervened in a False Claims Act lawsuit alleging that the hospital and physician submitted claims for medically substandard and unnecessary services to Medicare and Medicaid. Now, the government claims the defendants submitted "false or fraudulent claims" for services that "were not reasonable and necessary, were incompatible with standards of acceptable medical practice, and were of no medical value." In addition, the new claim alleges the defendants "endangered the lives" of federal healthcare program beneficiaries. Press release