Ascension Michigan and related hospitals, Providence Park Hospital, St. John Hospital and Medical Center, St. John Macomb Oakland Hospital and Ascension Crittenton Hospital (collectively, Ascension Michigan), have agreed to pay $2.8 million to resolve claims that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting or causing the submission of allegedly false claims for payment to federal health care programs related to alleged medically unnecessary procedures performed by a gynecologic oncologist, the Department of Justice said in a statement.
“When hospitals receive payment from federal health care programs for medically unnecessary surgical procedures, they cannot simply retain those payments; they have an obligation to return them,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to ensure that taxpayer funds are used appropriately for the important programs that they support.” Read more.
