Denver Health and Hospital Authority, conducting business as Denver Health Medical Center, will pay $6.3 million to settle claims that it overbilled Medicare and Medicaid by misclassifying patient admissions, according to a Colorado attorney general press release last week. Discovered through a whistleblower, Denver Health and Hospital Authority allegedly billed for inpatients, rather than as observation status or outpatients, for higher reimbursements between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2009.
"This case serves as a reminder that hospitals must scrutinize their billing practices to prevent overbilling," U.S. Attorney John Walsh said. Press release