Photo cred: The Item online
Repost from ModernHealthcare.com
After a four-week do-over trial, a jury concluded Wednesday that Tuomey Healthcare System in Sumter, S.C., violated the False Claims Act by submitting tens of thousands of illegal bills to Medicare worth $39 million.
The community hospital faces up to $357 million in potential False Claims Act liabilities, though attorneys who are not involved with the case said the hospital was likely to receive a penalty less than that amount.
The 10-person jury agreed with prosecutors and a physician whistle-blower in the highly charged case, finding that the hospital was paying doctors in ways that rewarded them financially for referring patients to the hospital, violating both the Stark law and the False Claims Act.
Read more: Jury rules Tuomey Healthcare violated Stark in claims worth $39M | Modern Healthcare