Saint Barnabas Corp., the largest healthcare system and second largest employer in New Jersey, is assigned to pay $265 million to settle a few whistleblower lawsuits claiming the hospital chain had systematically inflated charges to Medicare patients so as to receive enhanced reimbursements. This settlement is debated to be the first in a wave of healthcare industry payouts, as many other hospitals are currently facing similar accusations.
Whistleblowers claimed that Saint Barnabas had been abusing a Medicare system which provides extra payments to unusually expensive cases. Those involved as opposition to the fraudulent industry stand to make a comfortable gain in their share of the settlement. Justice Department attorneys have already released that the nine hospitals involved in West Orange, New Jersey “purposefully inflated charges for inpatient and outpatient care to make these cases appear more costly than they actually were.”
Saint Barnabas did not admit to wrongdoing in the settlement, but fell into a “corporate integrity agreement”, which ensured that it would follow Medicare procedure and protocol much more carefully in the future. Justice Department lawyers did not comment on the amount of payment left to each whistleblower.
If you believe that your employer is inflating Medicare charges or otherwise defrauding the government, please contact a whistleblower attorney today such as Laurie Robbins in Atlanta, Georgia. Robbins & Associates represents individuals who report Medicare and Medicaid fraud and other false claims involving the Federal Government.
