Kaiser Foundation Hospitals have agreed to pay the U.S. $1,830,322.41 to settle False Claims allegations of billing Medicare for uncertified hospice services.

The hospitals, Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Northwest and Northwest Permanente P.C., were supposed to acquire written certifications of terminal illness for each hospice patient in order to legally bill Medicare to help ensure that the hospice care was medically necessary.

Kaiser NW submitted a report explaining that between October 2000 and March 2004, there were individual instances where these certificates were not obtained prior to billing Medicare.

The case was handled by the Justice Department’s Civil Division, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon and the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Click here to read the full article “Oregon Hospice Pays U.S. $1.83 Million to Settle False Claims Act Liability”