CRESTVIEW — Covenant Hospice Inc. has paid $10.1 million to reimburse the government for alleged overbilling of Medicare, Tricare and Medicaid.
The non-profit operates in Southern Alabama and Northwest Florida, including offices in Crestview, Fort Walton Beach, Milton and Panama City.
The settlement resolves allegations that between Jan. 1, 2009 and Dec. 31, 2010, the nonprofit improperly submitted hospice claims for general inpatient care that should have been billed at the routine home care level for Medicare, Tricare and Medicaid patients. The government alleged that Covenant's medical records did not support the medical necessity of the general inpatient care.
"During recent days, the reputation of Covenant Hospice has come under scrutiny after news of billing errors were released," the nonprofit's development office said in a statement. "These errors, which upon discovery were immediately self-reported by Covenant Hospice to the Department of Justice, have not and will not affect the care provided to patients and families at the end of life. Covenant Hospice remains steadfast to its promise to provide the highest standard of care to its patients and is committed to doing what is right."
"We initiated extensive staff training on proper medical record documentation to ensure compliance while continuing to provide the highest quality of care for our patients and families,” said Liz Kuehn, vice president of organizational excellence and corporate compliance.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Covenant Hospice reimburses $10.1 million, corrects billing process