July 25, 2005
Simi Valley Hospital paid the federal government $3.64 million to settle charges that it had submitted false Medicare claims from 1993 through 1998. The suit alleged that the hospital “up-coded” pneumonia cases, classifying them as more serious than they actually were, in order to obtain a higher rate of reimbursement.
The hospital agreed to the settlement without admitting liability, according to a report in the July 23, 2005 edition of the Los Angeles Times.