Proving the theory that no good deed goes unpunished, according to a March 17, 2008 Department of Justice press release, Hardeman County Memorial Hospital in Texas agreed to pay the federal government a total of $398,230 to resolve allegations that it violated the federal False Claims Act by submitting improper claims for payment to the Medicare program for healthcare items and services that were provided as a result of improper physician referrals. Interestingly, the case was based on a 2005 self-disclosure by Hardeman to the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services that Hardeman had discovered a physician lease arrangement pursuant to which a referring physician had received free rent from Hardeman. The self-disclosure triggered an investigation which concluded in the settlement and Hardeman’s entry into a 3-year Corporate Integrity Agreement.
