U.S. Department of Justice, Harden Healthcare reach settlement agreement

Harden Healthcare, a leading senior healthcare services provider and owner of Voyager HospiceCare and Hospice Care of Kansas, announced today that a settlement agreement has been reached with the U.S. Department of Justice.  This settlement resolves a civil action involving Voyager HospiceCare and its subsidiary, Hospice Care of Kansas, relating to Medicare reimbursements from January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2008.  The period investigated included alleged events that occurred at Hospice Care of Kansas prior to Harden Healthcare's ownership of Voyager HospiceCare and Hospice Care of Kansas.

Under the terms of the settlement, Voyager HospiceCare and Hospice Care of Kansas will collectively pay $6.1 million to the U.S. Department of Justice and make certain other payments related to legal fees and expenses on behalf of a former employee of Hospice Care of Kansas.  The settlement agreement includes no admission or determination of wrongdoing on behalf of Voyager HospiceCare or Hospice Care of Kansas.  Moreover, the government questioned neither the quality of patient care provided by Hospice Care of Kansas' caregivers, nor were there any findings that Voyager Hospice Care or Hospice Care of Kansas billed or received payments for services not rendered.

"Harden Healthcare cooperated fully with this investigation, which covered a period prior to our acquisition of Voyager HospiceCare and Hospice Care of Kansas, and for which we were fully indemnified by the immediate prior owners," Lew Little, chief executive officer of Harden Healthcare, said. "Hospice Care of Kansas has a long history of quality service and fully implements Harden's own Standards of Conduct and Ethics, the cornerstone of our compliance program. This compliance program is designed to detect and prevent compliance-related issues, as well as promoting the highest standards of integrity in business and clinical operations that are so critical to the care of our patients.  We look forward to continuing to provide quality of life and dignity to our patients facing end-of-life illnesses and support for their families."