Kentucky Hospital to Pay $41 Million in Unnecessary Surgeries
An Ashland, Ky., hospital has agreed to pay $40.9 million to the federal government to settle claims that it made millions of dollars by falsely billing Medicaid and Medicare for unnecessary heart procedures, reports The Courier-Journal of Louisville.
The government’s lawsuit claimed King’s Daughters Medical Center “knew, deliberately ignored or recklessly disregarded the fact” that its cardiologists were inserting stents and performing catheritzations on patients who didn’t need them.
According to the paper’s report, “Hans Poppe, who represents the patients in the private suits against King’s Daughters — as well as most of about 400 who have sued the London hospital — said the settlement may be the largest ever in the U.S. involving unnecessary heart procedures. He said it bolsters the credibility of the claims made by his clients against King’s Daughters.”
