The Qui Tam Team

The government says a Detroit hospital has reached an $830,000 settlement over claims that it kept patients too long and overbilled the Medicare program. Slightly more than 20 percent of the settlement will be shared by five former employees who blew the whistle on SCCI Hospital.

12:06 p.m., Dec. 2, 2009

 Whistle-blowers paid in Detroit hospital case

By The Associated Press

 (AP) — The government says a Detroit hospital has reached an $830,000 settlement over claims that it kept patients too long and overbilled the Medicare program.

Slightly more than 20 percent of the settlement will be shared by five former employees who blew the whistle on SCCI Hospital.

The 65-bed hospital serves severely ill patients. The former employees had accused the hospital of billing Medicare for services that were unnecessary in 2004 and 2005.

The hospital has changed owners since that time and now is called Triumph Hospital Detroit. A message seeking comment was left with its lawyer Wednesday.

SOURCE The Associated Press/Crain's Detroit Business

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