A judge has ruled that a Daytona Beach hospital violated the federal Stark Law, which bars physicians from getting extra cash from patient referrals through kickbacks, split fees and other under-the-table arrangements, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
The case, scheduled to go to trial in March, stems from a 2009 lawsuit filed by whistleblower Elin Baklid-Kunz, a former compliance officer for Halifax Hospital. Hospital officials have denied wrongdoing.
The judgment could run into hundreds of millions of dollars if a jury finds that the hospital knew it was violating the Stark Law while it was defrauding Medicare and Medicaid.