by Ben Vernia | October 29th, 2010
On October 28, the Office of Inspector General of HHS announced a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement with Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. In May, the Department of Justice settled – for $108 million – False Claims Act allegations that the hospital had limited access to its outpatient cardiology testing unit to physicians who referred cardiac patients to the hospital. At the time, the DOJ press release warned that the hospital faced possible exclusion by HHS by not entering into a CIA:
Because The Christ Hospital declined to enter into a Corporate Integrity Agreement acceptable to the OIG, the OIG did not provide a release of its administrative exclusion authorities and is further evaluating the matter.
According to the OIG-HHS press release, the hospital has agreed to hire an independent review organization and to have its Board of Directors certify its compliance annually.
