Blessing Hospital (Quincy, IL) reached a significant $2.82 million settlement with the U.S. government in August 2021 to resolve False Claims Act allegations involving medically unnecessary cardiac catheterizations billed to Medicare and Medicaid between 2012-2018, a case it voluntarily disclosed after an internal audit. While specific details on other smaller settlements aren't detailed in these results, this major settlement highlights past legal issues, separate from older malpractice cases, demonstrating ongoing compliance scrutiny in healthcare systems.
Details of the 2021 Settlement:
- Amount: $2.82 million.
- Allegations: The hospital submitted claims for cardiac catheterization procedures that were deemed medically unnecessary and for obtaining payments for facility fees for these procedures.
- Timeframe: The alleged improper billing occurred from August 2012 to August 2018.
- Resolution: The settlement resolved allegations, with Blessing Hospital disclosing the issue internally after discovering a potential compliance problem during an audit.
Other Related Legal Matters:
- Malpractice Suit (1999): In a separate case from 2000, parents of a child who died at Blessing Hospital were awarded $1 million in a negligence lawsuit, finding the hospital and a doctor at fault for misdiagnosing the child's condition.
- Legal Challenges (2024): Blessing Health has also been involved in legal appeals, such as challenging Quincy Medical Group's hospital approval, affecting its "Sole Community Hospital" status, which impacts federal subsidies.
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