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Commitments and Contingencies
 6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2011
Commitments and Contingencies  
Commitments and Contingencies
10. Commitments and Contingencies:

In September 2006, the Company entered into a settlement agreement with the Department of Justice and a relator who initiated a "qui tam" complaint against the Company relating to its billing practices for services provided from January 1996 through December 1999 that were reimbursed by Medicaid, the Federal Employees Health Benefit program, and the United States Department of Defense's TRICARE program for military dependents and retirees (the "Settlement Agreement"). As part of the Settlement Agreement, the Company is in the final year of a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement with the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (the "OIG"). The Corporate Integrity Agreement acknowledges the existence of the Company's comprehensive Compliance Plan, which provides for policies and procedures aimed at promoting the Company's adherence with FHC Program requirements and requires the Company to maintain the Compliance Plan in full operation for the term of the Corporate Integrity Agreement. In addition, the Corporate Integrity Agreement requires, among other things, that the Company must comply with the following integrity obligations during the term of the Corporate Integrity Agreement:

 

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maintaining a Chief Compliance Officer and Compliance Committee to administer compliance with FHC Program requirements, the Compliance Plan and the Corporate Integrity Agreement;

 

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maintaining a Code of Conduct for the Company's officers, directors, employees, contractors, subcontractors, agents, or other persons who provide patient care items or services (the "Covered Persons");

 

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maintaining written policies and procedures regarding the operation of the Compliance Plan and the Company's compliance with FHC Program requirements;

 

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providing general compliance training to the Covered Persons as well as specific training to the Covered Persons who perform coding functions relating to claims for reimbursement from any FHC Program;

 

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engaging an independent review organization to perform annual reviews of samples of claims from multiple hospital units to assist the Company in assessing and evaluating its coding, billing, and claims-submission practices;

 

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maintaining the Disclosure Program that includes a mechanism to enable individuals to confidentially disclose issues or questions believed by the individual to be a potential violation of criminal, civil, or administrative laws;

 

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not hiring or, if employed, removing from the Company's business operations which are related to or compensated, in whole or part, by FHC Programs, persons (i) convicted of a criminal offense related to the provision of healthcare items or services or (ii) ineligible to participate in FHC Programs or Federal procurement or non-procurement programs;

 

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notifying the OIG of (i) new investigations or legal proceedings by a governmental entity or its agents involving an allegation that the Company has committed a crime or has engaged in fraudulent activities, (ii) matters that a reasonable person would consider a probable violation of criminal, civil or administrative laws applicable to any FHC Program for which penalties or exclusion may be imposed, and (iii) the purchase, sale, closure, establishment, or relocation of any facility furnishing items or services that are reimbursed under FHC Programs;

 

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reporting and returning overpayments received from FHC Programs;

 

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submitting reports to the OIG regarding the Company's compliance with the Corporate Integrity Agreement; and

 

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maintaining for inspection, for a period of six years from the effective date, all documents and records relating to reimbursement from the FHC Programs and compliance with the Corporate Integrity Agreement.

Failure to comply with the Company's duties under the Corporate Integrity Agreement could result in substantial monetary penalties and in the case of a material breach, could even result in the Company being excluded from participating in FHC Programs. Management believes that the Company was in compliance with the Corporate Integrity Agreement as of June 30, 2011.

In July 2007, the Audit Committee of the Company's Board of Directors concluded a comprehensive review of the Company's historical practices related to the granting of stock options. In connection with the review, the Company had discussions with the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of Florida concerning the matters covered by the review and, in response to a subpoena received in December 2007, provided the office with various documents and information related to the Company's stock option granting practices. The Company intends to fully cooperate with the U.S. Attorney's office if there is any additional activity with respect to this matter. In March 2009, the Company settled an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to this matter by entering into a consent decree.

The Company expects that additional audits, inquiries and investigations from government authorities and agencies will continue to occur in the ordinary course of business. Such audits, inquiries and investigations and their ultimate resolutions, individually or in the aggregate, could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, and the trading price of its common stock.

In the ordinary course of business, the Company becomes involved in pending and threatened legal actions and proceedings, most of which involve claims of medical malpractice related to medical services provided by the Company's affiliated physicians. The Company's contracts with hospitals generally require the Company to indemnify them and their affiliates for losses resulting from the negligence of the Company's affiliated physicians. The Company may also become subject to other lawsuits which could involve large claims and significant defense costs. The Company believes, based upon a review of pending actions and proceedings, that the outcome of such legal actions and proceedings will not have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition or results of operations. The outcome of such actions and proceedings, however, cannot be predicted with certainty and an unfavorable resolution of one or more of them could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, and the trading price of its common stock.

Although the Company currently maintains liability insurance coverage intended to cover professional liability and certain other claims, the Company cannot assure that its insurance coverage will be adequate to cover liabilities arising out of claims asserted against it in the future where the outcomes of such claims are unfavorable. With respect to professional liability risk, the Company generally self-insures a portion of this risk through its wholly owned captive insurance subsidiary. Liabilities in excess of the Company's insurance coverage, including coverage for professional liability and certain other claims, could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations.