| ||||||||||
 
Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details 
  
Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
Visit ColumbiaMagazine's Directory of Churches Addresses, times, phone numbers and more for churches in Adair County Find Great Stuff in ColumbiaMagazine's Classified Ads Antiques, Help Wanted, Autos, Real Estate, Legal Notices, More... 
|
Vibra Healthcare to pay $32.7 million to resolve claims For medically unnecessary services. Allegations included admitting patients to Southern Kentucky Rehabilitation Hospital, located in Bowling Green, KY, who did not qualify for admission Click on headline for complete story From U.S. District Attorney's Office Department of Justice, Western District of KY WASHINGTON, DC (Thu 29 Sep 2016) - Vibra Healthcare LLC (Vibra), a national hospital chain headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, has agreed to $32.7 million, plus interest, to resolve claims that Vibra violated the False Claims Act by billing Medicare for medically unnecessary services, the Department of Justice announced today. "Medicare beneficiaries are entitled to receive care that is determined by their clinical needs and not the financial interests of healthcare providers," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Justice Department's Civil Division. "All providers of taxpayer-funded federal healthcare services, whether contractors or direct billers, will be held accountable when their actions cause false claims for medically unnecessary services to be submitted." "Pursuing and recovering fraudulent billing for unnecessary services is a priority of my office," stated U.S. Attorney John E. Kuhn Jr. for the Western District of Kentucky. "This significant case against Vibra Healthcare is but one example of the vigorous work against healthcare fraud taking place in the Western District of Kentucky and across the nation." Vibra operates approximately 36 freestanding long term care hospitals (LTCHs) and inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) in 18 states, including Southern Kentucky Rehabilitation Hospital (SKY), located in Bowling Green, Kentucky. LTCHs provide inpatient hospital services for patients whose medically complex conditions require long hospital stays and programs of care. IRFs are intended for patients needing rehabilitative services that require hospital-level care. The government alleged that between 2006 and 2013, Vibra admitted numerous patients to five of its LTCHs and to one of its IRFs (SKY) who did not demonstrate signs or symptoms that would qualify them for admission. Moreover, Vibra allegedly extended the stays of its LTCH patients without regard to medical necessity, qualification and/or quality of care. In some instances, Vibra allegedly ignored the recommendations of its own clinicians, who deemed these patients ready for discharge. As part of the settlement, Vibra also agreed to enter into a chain-wide corporate integrity agreement with the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "Medical necessity is fundamental if health providers wish to claim taxpayer funds for medical care," said Special Agent in Charge C.J. Porter of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). "OIG is committed to protecting precious Medicare dollars and ensuring that beneficiaries receive quality, necessary long term care." Part of the allegations resolved by this settlement were originally filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Sylvia Daniel, a former health information coder at Vibra Hospital of Southeastern Michigan. Daniel filed her suit in the Southern District of Texas, where one of Vibra's LTCHs was located. Under the False Claims Act, a private party, known as a relator, can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the recovery. Daniel will receive at least $4 million. This settlement illustrates the government's emphasis on combating healthcare fraud and marks another achievement for the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team initiative, which was announced in May 2009 by the Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The partnership between the two departments has focused efforts to reduce and prevent Medicare and Medicaid financial fraud through enhanced cooperation. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Since January 2009, the Justice Department has recovered a total of more than $30.7 billion through False Claims Act cases, with more than $18.5 billion of that amount recovered in cases involving fraud against federal healthcare programs. This matter was handled by the Civil Division's Commercial Litigation Branch; the U.S. Attorneys' Offices for the Southern District of Texas in Houston and for the Western District of Kentucky; and the HHS-OIG. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Daniel v. Vibra Healthcare, LLC, Civil Action No. 10-5099 (S.D. Tex.). The claims resolved by the settlements are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability. This story was posted on 2016-09-29 15:29:11
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic News:
Squarecrows spaces reserved already enough to fill the Square! SCA to expand Bowling Green personal care plant, add 20 jobs Heaven Bound singing at Tabor CC Sun 2 Oct 2016 Adair Schools test scores reach new heights in 15-16 Story Walk will be an added feature during Squarecrow contest ACHS Volleyball Team Fundraiser Friday at Columbia UMC Help families by helping RM House with donation Statement from Adair County Fire Chief Terry Flatt Katie Murrell Library continuously celebrates Constitution Milltown UMC Homecoming: Sun 9 Oct 2016 View even more articles in topic News |
 
115 Jamestown St. Columbia, KY. 270-384-2496 
  
   
 Provided by the Adair Co Fiscal Court and the Adair Co. Emergency Mgt. Agency 
|
||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
Quick Links to Popular Features
Looking for a story or picture? Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com. | ||||||||||
|
Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728. Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.
| ||||||||||
