Chicago Hospital Head Gets Quarter of Covid-19 Fraud Settlement

A former Chicago hospital director will receive a 25% share of the government’s $500,000 settlement with an Illinois health-care provider in a False Claims Act suit alleging fraudulent Covid-19 test billing.

This recovery is “fair, adequate, and reasonable,” FCA whistleblower Elio Montenegro told the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in a Thursday filing. Montenegro alleged that Chicago-based Roseland Community Hospital Association and other health-care providers violated the FCA by billing the government for unnecessary Covid-19 tests. Montenegro, a former senior director for the hospital, alleged Roseland knowingly submitted claims for reimbursement to Medicare representing that unnecessary ...