Augusta University Medical Center, Inc. (AUMC) has agreed to a settlement with the United States, the State of Georgia, and the State of South Carolina to resolve allegations that AUMC submitted false claims to several government-funded healthcare programs. The government contended that AUMC violated the False Claims Act by knowingly submitting claims to federal healthcare programs for a procedure that was not covered by Medicare and Medicaid. The investigation involved these medically unreasonable and unnecessary “procedures,” which was referred to as a “Belsey Collis” and billed as a covered procedure, as well as post-surgical follow-up care. From the early stages of the government’s investigation, AUMC actively cooperated and fully committed to both monetary and non-monetary corrective actions for the alleged misconduct.
