DaVita pharmacy unit pays $63.7 million to settle claims of improper billing and kickbacks

A pharmacy services unit of the Denver-based dialysis provider DaVita Inc. will pay $63.7 million to resolve allegations it improperly billed federal health care programs and paid illegal financial inducements to patients, the U.S. Department of Justice reported Thursday.

The settlement resolves an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice into the practices by DaVita Rx LLC, a pharmacy services unit that specializes in serving patients with severe kidney disease.

The Coppel, Texas-based pharmacy provider was accused of billing federal health care programs such as Medicare and Medicaid for medications that were never delivered or had been returned unused, or for medications that did not comply with documentation requirements.

The provider also allegedly violated the federal anti-kickback statute by paying unlawful financial inducements to patients. The inducements included writing off unpaid beneficiary debt and extending discounts to beneficiaries who paid for their medications by credit card, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The company also allegedly allowed patients to use manufacturer co-payment discount cards.

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/2017/12/14/davita-pharmacy-improper-billing-kickbacks/