Thirty-two hospitals will pay the United States more than $28 million to settle allegations that the facilities submitted false claims to Medicare for minimally-invasive kyphoplasty procedures. The Justice Department has reached settlements with more than 130 hospitals totaling about $105 million in this area.
In many cases, the procedure can be performed safely and effectively as an outpatient procedure. The recent settlements resolve allegations that the hospitals frequently billed Medicare for inpatient kyphoplasty procedures. The settling facilities include:
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The Cleveland (OH) Clinic;
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Citrus Memorial Health System in Inverness, FL;
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Cullman (AL) Regional Medical Center;
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Martin Memorial Medical Center in Stuart, FL;
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MultiCare Tacoma (WA) General Hospital;
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Norwalk (CT) Hospital;
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Princeton (WVa) Community Hospital Association;
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Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, WA;
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Sarasota (FL) Memorial Hospital;
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Spartanburg (SC) Regional Health Services District;
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St. Cloud (MN) Hospital;
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Tampa (FL) General Hospital;
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Five hospitals tied to Community Health Systems, in Franklin, TN: Crestwood Medical Center in Huntsville, AL; St. Joseph’s Hospital in Fort Wayne, IN; Carolinas Hospital System in Florence, SC; Mary Black Health System in Spartanburg, SC; and Trinity Medical Center in Birmingham, AL;
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Five hospitals tied to Tenet Health Care Corp. in Dallas: East Cooper Medical Center in Mount Pleasant, SC; North Fulton Hospital in Roswell, GA; Providence Memorial Hospital in El Paso, TX; St. Francis Hospital in Memphis, TN; and Sierra Medical Center in El Paso;
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• Five hospitals formerly owned by Health Management Associates in Naples, FL: Biloxi (MS) Regional Medical Center; Davis Regional Medical Center in Statesville, NC; Lancaster (PA) Regional Medical Center; Physicians Regional Medical Center in Naples; and Riley Hospital in Meridian, MS;
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Three hospitals tied to BayCare Health System in Clearwater, FL: Winter Haven (FL) Hospital; St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, FL; and St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, FL;
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Two hospitals affiliated with Banner Health in Phoenix, AZ: Banner Boswell Medical Center in Sun City, AZ, and Banner Thunderbird Medical Center in Glendale, AZ.
