A CEO of an Atlanta-area hospital and the co-owner and chief operating officer of an Atlanta-based medical clinic chain pleaded guilty in connection with the payment of illegal kickbacks to clinics in exchange for Medicaid patient referrals to hospitals in the Atlanta area and on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Marshall L. Miller of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates of the Northern District of Georgia, Special Agent in Charge Derrick Jackson of the Atlanta Region of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and Assistant Director in Charge J. Britt Johnson of the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office made the announcement. The guilty pleas were entered by U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg of the Northern District of Georgia.
“These medical executives enriched themselves by using uninsured pregnant women and newborn babies as commodities, whose health care could be bought and sold for kickbacks and bribes,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Miller. “Unlawful payments for patient referrals can lead to increased Medicaid costs, corrupt medical decision-making, overutilization of medical services, and unfair competition – and most importantly, insufficient or inadequate care for patients. The Justice Department is committed to investigating and prosecuting those who illegally pay for patients.”
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