Hawaii's largest hospital pays $2.5 million to settle fed government claims

Hawaii-based Queen's Medical Center has paid $2.5 million to settle lawsuits that the hospital overbilled government healthcare programs for prescription medications, federal prosecutors said. The settlement was the result of two whistleblower lawsuits brought by former pharmacy technicians, who alleged that Queen's overbilled the state's Medicare and Medicaid programs, as well as TRICARE, the federal health insurance program for military dependents. The lawsuits were filed under the federal and state False Claims Acts, which allow the government to claim up to triple the damages, plus penalties, for submitting false claims to government programs.