Wuhan hospital accused of medical insurance fraud

A hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, was fined about 59.2 million yuan ($9.2 million) for defrauding the national medical insurance program of more than 23 million yuan, the National Healthcare Security Administration said on Wednesday.

The Tongji Hospital affiliated to Huazhong University of Science and Technology was found to have tampered with or forged medical records concerning orthopedic implants from January 2017 to September 2020, the administration said in a notice.

The hospital discovered 83 percent of the fraud on its own. The remaining 17 percent was exposed during a random examination led by central government authorities last month.

The hospital has also been ordered to suspend orthopedic services that involve the use of medical insurance and to provide more information on the case to health care, public security and market supervisory authorities.

The administration said that all funds lost due to the fraud have been recovered, and all fines have been paid.

"The random inspection also found that the hospital is suspected of illegally using health care funds worth over 91 million yuan in 2021. Further investigation is underway," it said.