Whistleblower rewarded for uncovering fraud at hospital

A doctor at a Cincinnati-area hospital had ordered and charged Medicare for as many as 8,000 vascular tests of patients. Just one problem – he wasn’t bothering to properly read them, if they were read at all.  A former employee at the hospital blew the whistle and filed a lawsuit in the case, which recently was settled by Christ Hospital for nearly $1.8 million. The whistleblower, former Medical Director of Vascular Lab Services Peter Podore, told hospital officials about the problem but he claimed his allegations were ingored, according to a news report about the case. As a reward for his efforts, Podore will receive a piece of the settlement estimated at about $286,000. The hospital also faces stricter federal oversight after it settled with the Justice Department and it announced that it had hired a chief compliance officer to ensure that staff and doctors follow federal rules. It also will “re-review” thousands of vascular tests. Learn more about whistleblower lawsuits.