Two Pittsburgh-area nursing homes must pay more than $15 million in restitution after being found guilty of falsifying staffing records to earn federal health care payments while failing to provide adequate care to their residents.
Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center and Mount Lebanon Rehabilitation and Wellness Center were punished in federal court for making false representations about Medicare and Medicaid enrollment. Brighton was condemned to pay more than $12.6 million and serve five years of probation, while Mount Lebanon was ordered to pay more than $2.7 million and serve one year on probation.
According to federal authorities, the companies provided false staffing numbers to the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), allowing them to escape penalties while continuing to receive government cash. Staff at both hospitals inserted the names of personnel who were not present or not providing patient care into staffing sheets to make it appear as if they were meeting federal minimum staffing requirements.
Despite repeated warnings from nurses about inadequate staffing levels, the institutions continued to accept new patients. During the sentence hearing, family members of former residents spoke about major gaps in care and safety, including a brutal assault that occurred when no personnel were there to intervene.
The court referred to the case as “a tragic set of events” that damaged patients, misled government agencies, and cheated taxpayers.
The sentencing follows a federal jury’s December 2023 conviction on multiple charges of health care fraud and obstruction.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania prosecuted the case, with help from the FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General.
