Department of Justice reaches $50M settlement with Wheeling Hospital over violations of False Claims Act
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Wheeling Hospital has agreed to pay the federal government $50 million to resolve claims that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly submitting claims to the Medicare program that resulted from violations of the Physician Self-Referral Law and the Anti Kickback Statute, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
The Physician Self-Referral Law, commonly known as the Stark Law, prohibits a hospital from billing Medicare for certain services referred by physicians with whom the hospital has a financial relationship, unless that relationship satisfies one of the law's statutory or regulatory exceptions. The Anti‑Kickback Statute prohibits offering or paying remuneration to induce the referral of items or services covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and other federally funded programs. Both the Stark Law and the Anti Kickback Statute are intended to ensure that medical decision-making is not compromised by improper financial incentives and is instead based on the best interests of the patient.
"Improper financial arrangements between hospitals and physicians can influence the type and amount of health care that is provided," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Bossert Clark of the Department of Justice's Civil Division. "The department is committed to taking action to eliminate improper inducements that can corrupt the integrity of physician decision-making."
In this case, the United States alleged that, from 2007 to 2020, under the direction and control of its prior management, R&V Associates, Ltd. and Ronald Violi, Wheeling Hospital systematically violated the Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute by knowingly and willfully paying improper compensation to referring physicians that was based on the volume or value of the physicians' referrals or was above fair market value.
"Our office is committed to ensuring that health care providers in the Northern District of West Virginia abide by the law," said Bill Powell, United States Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia. "We are pleased this settlement will enable Wheeling Hospital to resolve these prior False Claims Act violations and continue to provide a full range of healthcare services to patients in the area."
The settlement stems from a whistleblower complaint filed in 2017 by a former Executive Vice President of Wheeling Hospital, Louis Longo, pursuant to the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private persons to bring a lawsuit on behalf of the government and to share in the proceeds of the suit. The Act also permits the government to intervene and take over the lawsuit, as it did in this case as to some of Longo's allegations. Longo will receive $10 million of the settlement.
The case was handled on behalf of the government by the Justice Department's Civil Division, the U.S. Attorney's Offices for the Northern District of West Virginia and Western District of Pennsylvania, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Wheeling Hospital officials said the settlement will allow the hospital to continue to provide quality health care in the region.
"The settlement was in the best interest of the long-term viability of the hospital and the community," said hospital CEO Douglass Harrison. "Prolonging the lawsuit would have paralyzed the ability of the hospital to attract the best physicians and to make the necessary capital improvements to ensure that the highest quality health care continues to be provided in the Upper Ohio Valley."
Since the lawsuit was filed, Wheeling Hospital entered into a management agreement with WVU Health System and named Harrison the new CEO. The hospital also has added a robust corporate compliance program with WVUHS.
In recognition of the significant leadership changes at the hospital, the DOJ settlement does not require a five-year monitoring agreement normally required for lawsuits of this type. More importantly, the action against the hospital was dismissed with prejudice, without an admission of wrongdoing.
"The settlement will not impede the hospital's focus on patient care or its commitment to compliance, ethical conduct and integrity," Harrison said.