U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, FBI investigation determines medically unnecessary doctor-ordered overnight stays billed to Medicare and Medicaid PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rhode Island Hospital will reimburse federal health care programs approximately $2.6 million dollars and will pay the federal government approximately $2.7 million in double and triple damages for ordering medically unnecessary overnight patient hospital stays and then submitting claims for payment to federally funded Medicare and Medicaid programs. An investigation by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island; Office of Inspector General of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (OIG-HHS); and the Federal Bureau of Investigation determined that during the period from January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2009, medically unnecessary overnight hospital admissions were ordered for approximately 260 patients who underwent stereotactic radiosurgery, otherwise known as Gamma Knife treatment. The investigation also revealed that Rhode Island Hospital’s claims for reimbursement for the overnight admissions to Medicare and Medicaid falsely represented that the admissions were medically necessary when, in fact, they were not.