Center, Texas-based Shelby Regional Medical Center's former CFO, Joe White, has pleaded guilty to lying before a U.S. Magistrate Judge when attesting to successful meaningful use of an EHR, even though Shelby Regional Medical Center did not meet meaningful use requirements, according to a report from inForney.com.
Mr. White was responsible for both overseeing EHR implementation at his hospital and attesting to meaningful use to quality for incentive payments under the federal incentive program. As a result of Mr. White's false testimony, Shelby Regional received nearly $786,000 from Medicare.
Shelby Regional Medical Center's owner, Tariq Mahmood, MD, has also had legal troubles with Medicare and was convicted of healthcare fraud and conspiracy in July. Dr. Mahmood received nearly $313,000 in Medicare reimbursements from false claims, according to the report. Shelby Regional closed its doors July 2013, one day after losing Medicare and Medicaid status and several months after authorities filed criminal charges against Dr. Mahmood.
Mr. White faces up to five years in prison, though a sentencing date has not yet been set, according to the report.
More articles on health IT:
Cerner to create 16,000 jobs with new $4.45B campus
4 questions to ask before replacing an EHR
4.7% of eligible hospitals failed post-payment MU audits: 3 findings