Bass, Berry & Sims attorney Anna Grizzle provided insight for an article outlining the $20.8 million settlement in a whistle-blower fraud case against a Pennsylvania hospital accused of creating medical directorship positions for cardiologists without the signed contracts required under the Stark physician self-referral law. (United States ex rel. Emanuele v. Medicor Assocs., E.D. Pa., No. 10-cv-245) The healthcare industry was closely following this case to provide clarification on the complex association of Stark law compliance and False Claims Act liability as relates to medical directorships. While Anna said “she didn’t expect the litigation to curtail hospitals’ use of medical directorships, [] it could encourage greater use of self-disclosure protocols available through the CMS and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, or issuance of Medicare refunds when appropriate.”
The full article, “Hospital, Physician Group Settle Fraud Charges for $20.8M,” was published by Bloomberg Health Law Resource Center on November 9, 2017, and is available online.