Steward Health Care System agrees to Pay a $4.7 Million Settlement Over False Claims

Despite public denial of wrongdoing, Steward Health Care System LLC (SHCS) has agreed to pay approximately $4.735 million to resolve allegations that its relationships with several physicians and physician practice groups violated federal law, including the False Claims Act, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.

In the signed settlement agreement, SHCS “admits, acknowledges, and accepts responsibility” for the facts underlying the government’s allegations, officials said.

The company is one of the largest, private for-profit healthcare networks in the nation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and is the owner of multiple hospitals in Massachusetts, including Steward Good Samaritan Medical Center, Inc. (GSMC), a for-profit hospital in Brockton.