SPRINGFIELD — A Branson physician has blown the whistle on what he calls Medicare fraud at CoxHealth.
In a lawsuit filed in 2017 and unsealed earlier this year, Dr. Charles Rasmussen accuses the hospital system and two other Missouri companies of conspiring to make certain Medicare patients look sicker on paper to boost payments from the government.
Rasmussen’s claims center on how Cox, together with St. Louis-based Essence Healthcare and Lumeris, administered a program called CoxHealth MedicarePlus.
The program is one of a growing number of publicly-funded, privately-run “Medicare Advantage” plans designed to augment traditional Medicare with add-ons like dental and vision coverage.
Source: Branson doctor accuses Cox, partner company of Medicare fraud / Springfield News-Leader