Detroit, Michigan - William Beaumont Hospital, a regional hospital system based in the Detroit, Michigan area, will pay $84.5 million to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act of improper relationships with eight referring physicians, resulting in the submission of false claims to the Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE programs, the Justice Department announced Thursday.

The owner of a Michigan home health agency pleaded guilty today to fraud charges for his role in a scheme involving approximately $8 million in fraudulent Medicare claims for home health services that were procured through the payment of illegal kickbacks.

A physician based in the McAllen, Texas area was charged in an indictment unsealed today for his role in a $240 million health care fraud and international money laundering scheme.

Banner Health has agreed to pay the United States over $18 million to settle allegations that 12 of its hospitals in Arizona and Colorado knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare by admitting patients who could have been treated on a less costly outpatient basis, the Justice Department announced today.  Headquartered in Arizona, Banner Health owns and operates 28 acute-care hospitals in multiple states.

The Justice Department announced today that Rotech Healthcare Inc., a Florida-based respiratory equipment supplier, has agreed to pay $9.68 million for knowingly submitting false claims for portable oxygen contents to Medicare.  As part of the settlement, Rotech admitted that it knowingly billed portable oxygen contents to Medicare for beneficiaries who did not use or require them.  The Company further admitted to billing Medicare regardless of whether such contents were delivered.

Two Tennessee health care executives were charged in an indictment unsealed today for their alleged participation in a $4.6 million Medicare kickback scheme involving durable medical equipment (DME).