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Former HMA Hospitals Settle Medicare Fraud Case

Stethoscope and gavel against a white backdrop.
Wikimedia Commons
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The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

Two Florida hospitals --Lehigh Regional Medical Center  and Santa Rosa Medical Center in Milton -- are part of a nearly $16 million settlement involving allegations of false Medicare claims, according to a news release from  the U.S. Department of Justice.  Among the 16 hospitals included in the False Claims Act lawsuit, 14 were owned by HMA, including the two in Florida, the Fort Myers News-Press reports. The false claims came from services administered between 2005 and 2013.

Originally founded in December 2006 as an independent grassroots publication dedicated to coverage of health issues in Florida, Health News Florida was acquired by WUSF Public Media in September 2012.