Dr. John Patterson has agreed to pay $468,626 to resolve allegations under the Federal False Claims Act. The U.S. government claims that he accepted kickbacks from Nursemind Home Care Inc., certifying patients for hospice services when they weren’t actually eligible. This misconduct resulted in false claims being submitted to federal healthcare programs. 
Dr. Patterson cooperated with the investigation, which is a factor in the settlement. He agreed to assist with an ongoing criminal investigation and to testify truthfully in any related prosecutions. 
The same investigation led to the criminal prosecution of Zenia Chavez, the owner of Nursemind Home Care, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy involving illegal payments related to federal healthcare. 
Special Agent Jason Meadows of the HHS-OIG highlighted the serious implications of these violations, stating that they waste valuable federal healthcare funds and corrupt the medical decision-making process. He emphasized the emotional toll on Medicare recipients and their families when hospice care is inappropriately placed. 
What are your thoughts on this situation? How can we better protect our healthcare system from such abuses? Let’s discuss! 
