Prime Healthcare Hospital Chain Bills Medicare for Rare—and Expensive—Diseases

[The Straight Story]

Prime Healthcare Hospital Chain Bills Medicare for Rare—and Expensive—Diseases


Already under investigation for questionable billings, the hospitals of Prime Healthcare Services are also accused of fraudulently charging Medicare for a variety of unusual medical conditions that pay more than ordinary illnesses.

According to California Watch, the hospital chain has been the most aggressive of any in California when billing for rare disorders. At least nine former Prime employees have said the company’s owner and chairman of the board, Dr. Prem Reddy, encouraged staff to record common medical conditions as more serious ailments, in order to receive larger reimbursements from Medicare.

Malignant hypertension (bleeding eyes) is a more serious form of hypertension that accounts for about 1% of cases…except at Prime HealthCare hospitals. It brings into a hospital about $3,000 extra for each case. Prime has reported caring for malignant hypertension cases at seven times the statewide average. At Desert Valley Hospital in Victorville 37.9% of hypertension case were deemed malignant.

Autonomic nerve disorder is a rare condition that California hospitals in general report seeing in about 1 of 6,667 elderly Medicare patients. At Prime HealthCare hospitals the rate is 1 out of 75.

http://www.allgov.com/Controversies/ViewNews/Prime_Healthcare_Hospital_Chain_Bills_Medicare_for_Rare__and_Expensive__Diseases_111017

[MineralMan]

1. Get the money back from that corporation and put it back in

the Medicare fund.