A former hospital employee has filed a lawsuit accusing St. Luke's Hospital in Jacksonville, Fla., of falsely billing Medicare and Medicaid during an 11-month span, according to an article in the Florida Times-Union Report.
The suit, filed by BethAnne Algie, claims the hospital falsely billed the government from April 2008 until March 2009. The suit claims the hospital was ineligible for Medicaid and Medicare payments because its accreditation allegedly transferred when its former operator, Mayo Clinic, opened a new facility and St. Vincent HealthCare took over St. Luke's. The lawsuit claims St. Luke's continued claiming Mayo's accreditation as its own when it was under St. Vincent HealthCare's ownership.
An attorney for St. Vincent's HealthCare said it has met its obligations to the Medicare program and the government will determine all appropriate actions were taken, according to the report.
The suit suggests St. Luke's pay three times the amount of payments it received from federal programs in that 11-month time. It was not specified how much the hospital received from Medicare or Medicaid, according to the report.
Read the Florida Times-Union Report article on St. Luke's Hospital and false claims allegations.
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The suit, filed by BethAnne Algie, claims the hospital falsely billed the government from April 2008 until March 2009. The suit claims the hospital was ineligible for Medicaid and Medicare payments because its accreditation allegedly transferred when its former operator, Mayo Clinic, opened a new facility and St. Vincent HealthCare took over St. Luke's. The lawsuit claims St. Luke's continued claiming Mayo's accreditation as its own when it was under St. Vincent HealthCare's ownership.
An attorney for St. Vincent's HealthCare said it has met its obligations to the Medicare program and the government will determine all appropriate actions were taken, according to the report.
The suit suggests St. Luke's pay three times the amount of payments it received from federal programs in that 11-month time. It was not specified how much the hospital received from Medicare or Medicaid, according to the report.
Read the Florida Times-Union Report article on St. Luke's Hospital and false claims allegations.
Related Articles on Hospitals and False Claims:
California Accuses Sutter Health of Overbilling More Than $100M for Anesthesia
Norton Settles Overbilling Charges
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Settles Fraudulent Billing Claims With $2.2M