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9/24/2007
Justice Sues Ex-Lawyer for Tenet
Modern Healthcare
Related Attorney(s):
John
B.
Hardcastle
Boult Cummings attorney, Jay Hardcastle, comments on the recent False Claims Act lawsuit filed by the U.S. Justice Department against former general counsel and chief compliance officer for Tenet Healthcare Corp., Christi Sulzbach. The suit claims that Sulzbach falsely certified to HHS in 1997 and 1998 that Tenet was in compliance with Medicare regulations when she knew that North Ridge Medical Center had physician contracts that were in violation of Stark self-referral laws.
Hardcastle explains that the government is not accusing Sulzbach of being a co-conspirator, but is claiming she was a aware of the violation when she certified Tenet's compliance.
"Sulzbach could argue that her interpretation of fair-market value differed from the outside counsel's interpretation, so she believed the contracts were in compliance, Hardcastle said."
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