Massachusetts General Hospital Must Face False Claims Suit

Whistleblower and anesthesiologist Lisa Wollman adequately alleges that Massachusetts General Hospital violated the False Claims Act by improperly billing Medicare for surgeries, a federal court said June 17.

Her allegations contain sufficient detail about the hospital improperly leaving patients under anesthesia for medically unnecessary periods of time in order to conduct concurrently scheduled surgeries, said Judge Allison D. Burroughs of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Wollman also adequately alleges that the hospital engaged in its scheme with deliberate indifference and reckless disregard for regulatory compliance, the court said in its decision to deny the hospital’s motion ...