March 16, 2009
San Mateo County, Calif., will pay the federal government $6.8 million to resolve allegations that the San Mateo Medical Center (SMMC) submitted false claims to Medicare and Medicaid.
The U.S. Dept. of Justice charged that the SMMC falsely inflated its bed count to Medicare in order to receive higher payments under Medicare’s Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) adjustment. The suit also alleged that the county obtained Medicaid payments for services provided to patients at Institutes of Mental Disease (IMDs) who were ineligible for federal funding.
The suit originated as a whistleblower claim filed by a former county employee.