July 22, 2008
Lester E. Cox Medical Centers of Springfield, Missouri, has agreed to pay the United States $60 million to settle claims that it violated the False Claims Act, the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Statute, the Justice Department reported. The government alleged that Cox’s relationships with certain physicians violated the Anti-Kickback Act by providing inducement for referrals.
It was also alleged that Cox included non-reimbursable costs on its Medicare cost reports and improperly billed for services provided to dialysis patients.