Intermountain Stops Claims Alleging Distracted Anesthesiologists

Utah-based hospital company Intermountain Healthcare Inc. won dismissal of a whistleblower’s claims it violated the False Claims Act by fully billing Medicare for anesthesia services provided by distracted doctors, a district court said.

Surgeon Michael D. Khoury alleged that Intermountain’s claims for payment were improper because several anesthesiologists used personal electronic devices during surgery and failed to adequately monitor patients.

But Khoury failed to show that Intermountain submitted legally false claims for reimbursement by violating Medicare participation requirements, Judge Tena Campbell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah said in a decision filed Jan. 28.

Intermountain didn’t ...