Buffalo, NY – Catholic Health has reached an agreement with the New York State Office of the Attorney General, through its Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU), and has also finalized a related settlement with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The settlements resolve allegations brought under a qui tam action filed in October 2020 concerning physician compensation arrangements. The claims focused on contracted physicians providing administrative services at Catholic Health’s affiliated hospitals and cited instances where there was insufficient documentation as to the number of hours of services provided. The settlements pertain to the period between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2020.
“Defending these types of subjective allegations requires an unsustainable and unacceptable allocation of Catholic Health resources,” said Leonardo Sette-Camara, General Counsel of Catholic Health. “This investigation was never about the quality of care provided to our patients. By resolving the case now, we can move forward and remain fully focused on delivering the highest standard of care.”
Catholic Health is committed to its mission of providing high-quality patient care to the Western New York community and to upholding strict standards of compliance, ethics, and integrity across all operations.
