In 2016, Fresenius settled patients’ lawsuits alleging dangerous practices at its clinics for $250 million without admitting guilt or negligence. DaVita agreed in October to pay $270 million to settle a federal accusation that it inflated claims to Medicare (it did not admit liability). In June, a federal jury in Denver awarded three patient families a total of $383.5 million on their assertions that DaVita clinics misused dialysis drugs (the company says it will appeal); two of the patients were treated in California. In 2015, the company paid a total of $895 million to settle whistle-blower allegations of fraud, including a lawsuit alleging that it was deliberately throwing out unused dialysis drugs in order to inflate claims to the government, and another that alleged it was paying hidden kickbacks to doctors in exchange for patient referrals to its clinics. In those cases the company did not admit to the accusations.

Source: Los Angeles Times October 29, 2018 20:59 UTC