Abington Memorial Hospital Must Pay $491K After Allegations Of Forged Doctor Signatures: US Attorney

ABINGTON, PA — Abington Hospital must pay $491K after an employee was accused of forging physician signatures on claim forms and other important documents, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced recently.

The hospital told the government in June of 2016 that they had discovered their affiliated home care agency, Jefferson Abington Health Home Care and Hospice, had submitted the forged claim forms, according to officials.

The forms included cut and pasted required physician signatures, meaning that treatment was being fraudulently authorized, according to authorities.

“Medicare beneficiaries are entitled to receive care that is determined by their clinical needs, and if health providers wish to be reimbursed with taxpayer funds, they must follow the rules and ensure that the services they provided were properly authorized and documented,” Acting U.S. Attorney Louis D. Lappen said. “We commend Abington Memorial Hospital for coming forward to disclose its problems and for working to improve its practices to ensure compliance by all personnel.”

Abington Hospital must pay a total of $491,672 now to "resolve" the allegations.

Authorities noted the hospital's prompt attention to the matter, which included firing the employee in question, and taking corrective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Patch file photo