NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A federal judge in Nashville has awarded the U.S. government $82.6 million from three companies in a Medicare fraud case initiated by whistleblowers.
Judge William J. Haynes Jr. ruled Thursday that Renal Care Group, Renal Care Group Supply Co. and Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Inc. recklessly disregarded federal law when billing the Medicare program for home dialysis supplies from 1999 to 2005.
Federal prosecutors said multiple Renal Care Group employees complained about Medicare billings of the company.
The Nashville-based company did not immediately respond to an email request from The Associated Press for comment on the ruling.
The company, with locations throughout Missouri, had argued that it did not violate Medicare rules because it had made disclosures to the program.
Fresenius acquired Renal Care Group in 2006.
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