Integris to pay $12m in alleged Medicare fraud under False Claims Act

US Attorney Media Relase

November 29, 2006

United States Attorney Richard B. Roper announced that Integris Baptist Medical Center, Inc. and Integris Health, Inc. have agreed to pay the United States $12,200,000.00 to resolve allegations they violated the False Claims Act by submitting inflated claims to the Medicare program in their annual cost reports.

Integris Baptist Medical Center is a not-for-profit health organization located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and it operates the state’s largest Medicare certified Heart, Liver, and Kidney transplant program. Integris Health, Inc. is the parent corporation for Integris Baptist Medical Center.

This settlement resolves allegations that Integris Baptist Medical Center and Integris Health (“Integris”) submitted false claims in their annual Medicare cost reports that included inflated costs related to Integris’ organ transplant department. The complaint alleged that Integris improperly sought payment from Medicare for post-transplant and non-transplant related costs that Integris knew were not reimbursable under the Medicare program. It was also alleged Integris sought Medicare reimbursement for liver and heart organ acquisition costs related to transplant services that were provided to patients who were not Medicare beneficiaries.

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