Report: Hospitals and health systems may settle in ICD overuse cases
Hundreds of hospitals and health systems may have settled with the U.S. Justice Department in a probe into the overuse of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), according to a Modern Healthcare report.
The report mentioned that the Justice Department “may announce in the coming weeks what may be the largest False Claims Act investigation and recovery ever in terms of the number of hospitals involved.”
The Justice Department refused comment when Modern Healthcare contacted the agency.
However, Frank Sheeder, an attorney and partner at DLA Piper, told the website that more than 500 hospitals were subject to the probe and most have settled with the government. Kevin Cornish, a managing director in Navigant Consulting’s disputes and investigations practice, also confirmed to Modern Healthcare that several hundred hospitals agreed to settle.
The Justice Department investigation into the overuse of ICDs began in 2010. It alleges that some hospitals have billed Medicare for using ICDs in patients who do not need them.
Executive Editor
Tim Casey joined TriMed Media Group in 2015 as Executive Editor. For the previous four years, he worked as an editor and writer for HMP Communications, primarily focused on covering managed care issues and reporting from medical and health care conferences. He was also a staff reporter at the Sacramento Bee for more than four years covering professional, college and high school sports. He earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Notre Dame and his MBA degree from Georgetown University.