Hospital Faces Fraud Liability Over Medical Director Arrangements

A Pennsylvania hospital that created medical directorship positions but didn’t have signed contracts with the doctors violated the physician self-referral law (United States ex rel. Emanuele v. Medicor Assocs., 2017 BL 80113, W.D. Pa., No. 10-cv-245, 3/15/17).

That’s the holding of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. The court ruled March 15 partially in favor of whistle-blower Tullio Emanuele, a former cardiologist with defendant Medicor Associates, which provided cardiology services to co-defendant hospital Hamot Medical Center of the City of Erie.

Judge Joy Flowers Conti ruled that several draft agreements and email ...