AseraCare to Pay $1 Million to Settle False Claims Act Suit

Hospice services provider AseraCare will pay the Justice Department $1 million to settle claims it violated the False Claims Act by improperly billing Medicare for end-of-life care, the company said.

The settlement, which will end a case filed by three whistleblowers in 2008, won’t require a corporate integrity agreement, AseraCare’s Thursday announcement said. Such agreements often require the hiring of compliance officers and the preparation of annual reports.

The government intervened in the case in 2012, alleging that AseraCare knowingly used reckless practices to receive reimbursements for patients who weren’t eligible for hospice benefits.

Following a partial verdict in the ...