Two of Tenet Healthcare Corp.’s former subsidiaries admitted to conspiring to defraud Medicaid by using referral contracts for translation services to funnel pregnant patients through their doors.Atlanta Medical Center and North Fulton Hospital in Georgia each pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate federal anti-kickback laws and defraud the United States, Tenet said on Monday, as it finalized a $514 million settlement over its involvement in the scheme.In 2014, the U.S. Justice Department joined a whistleblower lawsuit accusing Tenet and four of its hospitals of allegedly making illegal payments to clinics operated by Clinica de la Mama and Hispanic Medical Management in exchange for Medicaid patient referrals, a violation of the federal anti-kickback statute and Stark law.The federal government alleged Tenet made payments to Hispanic Medical Management under the guise of commissioning translation, marketing and Medicaid eligibility determination services, but they were actually illegal kickbacks. …
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BREAKING: Two former Tenet hospitals plead guilty in Medicaid kickback scheme; $514M settlement – ModernHealthcare.com