Ensign Group Pays $48 Million To Settle Whistleblower Lawsuits Alleging Medicare Billing Fraud

Circle Connections: Policy & Regulatory Updates A whistleblower lawsuit brought by Phillips & Cohen LLP was the primary basis for a $48 million settlement the federal government announced today with the Ensign Group involving Medicare billing fraud. The "qui tam" (whistleblower) lawsuit alleged skilled nursing facilities operated by Ensign subsidiaries were billing Medicare for treatment of patients that wasn't actually provided or wasn't medically necessary. The government also alleged that some patients were admitted for treatment at the nursing homes when they didn't need to be and that some were kept in the facilities longer than was . . .