Optim Healthcare, a physician run healthcare organization in Georgia has agreed to pay Uncle Sam $4 million to settle False Claims allegations that it submitted inflated claims that were misidentified in order to receive higher reimbursements. The Government’s investigation was initiated when it received numerous complaints that patients, who lived in the Savannah area, had to undergo major surgical procedures at Optim Healthcare’s rural hospital located in Tattnall County, approximately 90 miles away.
The Government alleges that the primary motivation in having these surgeries performed at Optim Medical Center “ñ Tattnall was financial, and not based on patient need.
The settlement resolves allegations that were originally part of a federal lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act which allow private citizens with knowledge of false claims to file suit on behalf of the Government and to share in any recovery. A whistleblower is entitled to between 15-30% of the government’s recovery.
