Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger Community Health Services will pay $18.5 million to resolve allegations that it improperly billed Medicare for hospice and home health services, the Justice Department said Nov. 1.
The settlement resolves self-disclosed violations of Medicare billing rules and includes filings submitted by Geisinger between January 2012 and December 2017.
According to the voluntary disclosure, the billing errors were related to Medicare rules involving physician certifications of terminal illness, patient elections of hospice care and physician face-to-face encounters with home health patients.
"The $18 million payment in this matter reflects the priority healthcare providers should place on making sure they closely follow all Medicare rules and regulations," said Bruce Brandler, acting U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. "I commend GCHS for taking this seriously, voluntarily disclosing these issues to our office and working to address the problems that led to these violations."