Bozeman hospital, radiology company accused of fraud in kickback scheme

A federal lawsuit alleges that Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital made millions of dollars worth of fraudulent claims to government health care programs as part of an illegal kickback scheme to keep a monopoly on radiology services in Gallatin County. The suit, initially filed under seal in U.S. District Court in December by Bozeman attorneys Ben Alke and Devlan Geddes, of the Bozeman firm Goetz, Baldwin & Geddes, was brought under the False Claims Act, which allows private individuals to file against federal contractors for fraud against the government. The lawsuit was made public last week.