Fla. hospitals incorrectly receive $31M in MU incentives
A Florida hospital chain incorrectly claimed $31 million in Meaningful Use incentive payments. Eleven of Naples-based Health Management Associates' (HMA) 70 hospitals said they met the program's requirements and received the payments from 2010 and the first two quarters of 2013. The company blamed the improper claims, which were discovered last month, on an error in the accounting treatment of the incentive payments due to “a control deficiency related to the administration and oversight of the company's EHR enrollment process," in a statement.
HMA said the claims totaled $8.3 million in 2011, approximately $17.3 million in 2012 and approximately $5.4 million in the first six months of 2013. The 11 hospitals have discontinued participation in the incentive program and will repay most of the money to CMS with some being returned to state programs.
HMA said it will restate earnings for the previous three years and the first two quarters of this year. It also has withdrawn its earnings guidance for the rest of this year and 2014 and warned stockholders that the statement by accounting firm Ernst & Young certifying the effectiveness of HMA's internal controls over its financial reporting “should no longer be relied upon.”
HMA said the claims totaled $8.3 million in 2011, approximately $17.3 million in 2012 and approximately $5.4 million in the first six months of 2013. The 11 hospitals have discontinued participation in the incentive program and will repay most of the money to CMS with some being returned to state programs.
HMA said it will restate earnings for the previous three years and the first two quarters of this year. It also has withdrawn its earnings guidance for the rest of this year and 2014 and warned stockholders that the statement by accounting firm Ernst & Young certifying the effectiveness of HMA's internal controls over its financial reporting “should no longer be relied upon.”
Beth Walsh,
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.