Atlanta’s St. Joseph’s to pay $26 million in nurse whistleblower suit

An Atlanta nurse led a one-woman crusade to change what she saw as the hospital's bogus billing to the federal program, risking her livelihood and career security. The hospital was regularly filing claims for inpatient services that should have been billed as outpatient or observation services, according to the whistleblower. The hospital netted millions of extra dollars by billing for the more expensive services. For her trouble, the former Atlanta hospital employee will receive $4.9 million, according to the settlement.