Hospital firm to pay $118M in whistleblower suit

TAMPA BAY — Adventist Health System, the owner/operator of 11 health care facilities in the Tampa Bay area, reached an agreement with federal officials to settle two whistleblower lawsuits for $118.7 million.

The firm will pay the money to the federal government and four states. The payments settle claims that Altamonte Springs-based Adventist paid doctors for patient referrals to Adventist-owned hospitals, clinics and outpatient facilities in Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. The whistleblower lawsuits, filed in 2012, also alleged that the firm's facilities billed Medicare for more expensive procedures than were actually provided, according to a statement.

Facilities that Adventist Health System owns in the Tampa area include Florida Hospital Carrollwood, Florida Hospital North Pinellas, Florida Hospital Tampa, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel and Florida Hospital Zephyrhills.