Condell to pay $36 million in fraud case

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill., Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Ill., is to pay $36 million to settle allegations it accepted improper payments, federal prosecutors said Monday.

The settlement resolves allegations the center accepted improper payments from Medicare and Medicaid programs for more than five years, said a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago.

The payments were brought to the U.S. attorney's attention by Condell executives involved in the center's due diligence efforts for Advocate Health Care, which has purchased the 283-bed hospital for $180 million, said the statement.

The payments allegedly included improper loans to doctors and payments to doctors who performed medical services without written agreements, said U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald, noting Condell, under the settlement, does not have to admit any liability.