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Whistleblower rakes in $2.3 million.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Be sure to toe the line in your relationships with institutional referral sources, or you could both get in trouble.<\/p>\n Long-term care and rehabilitation hospital chain\u00a0Post Acute Medical\u00a0<\/strong>is learning that lesson in a $13.2 million settlement sparked by a whistleblower lawsuit. Enola, Pennsylvania-based PAM violated the Antikickback Statute \u201cby entering into what it called \u2018reciprocal referral relationships\u2019 with unaffiliated healthcare providers such as home health companies,\u201d the\u00a0Department of Justice\u00a0<\/strong>says in a release. \u201cPAM allegedly referred patients to those other providers with the understanding that those providers would refer other patients to PAM\u2019s facilities.\u201d The settlement also covers charges that PAM paid kickbacks to physicians through sham medical director relationships for its hospitals.<\/p>\n Whistleblower\u00a0Douglas Johnson\u00a0<\/strong>will receive more than $2.3 million as part of the settlement, the DOJ says.<\/p>\n Other recent fraud case developments include:<\/p>\n In California:<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>In another case hinging on kickbacks, physician\u00a0Kanagasabai Kanakeswaran\u00a0<\/strong>has been convicted by a Los Angeles federal jury of kickback charges. From 2008 to 2016, Kanakeswaran\u00a0referred Medicare patients to\u00a0Star Home Health Resources\u00a0<\/strong>in La Verne in exchange for illegal kickbacks. Kanakeswaran received both cash kickbacks and checks via his\u00a0Digital Perfection Corporation\u00a0<\/strong>company, the\u00a0Department of Justice\u00a0<\/strong>says in a release. Medicare paid Star about $4.1 million in the scheme, which was investigated by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. Kanakeswaran is scheduled to face sentencing Jan. 7.<\/p>\n In Michigan:\u00a0<\/strong>Physical therapist\u00a0Jimmie James Anthony\u00a0<\/strong>has pleaded guilty to billing Medicare for PT services through his home care company,\u00a0West Shore Comfort Home Care Services\u00a0<\/strong>in Norton Shores, that were never provided, reports\u00a0MLive.com<\/em>. Anthony entered a plea bargain under which he could face up to a year in jail and $100,000 in fines. According to the plea agreement, West Shore received nearly $20,000 in Medicare reimbursement for the services.<\/p>\n Source- SuperCoder<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"