Employee Handbook - Baptist Memorial Online

Employees who are aware of or suspect an infraction have an obligationto report it. Employees may contact any of the following:1. their managers or their managers’ direct supervisors;2. the corporate compliance office at 901-227-5920;3. the helpline/hotline at 1-877-BMH-TIPS; or4. corporate legal counsel at 901-227-5233.Suspected violations of laws may encompass federal or stateFalse Claims Acts, which provide for actions to be brought bythe government or a private individual on behalf of the governmentwhen some person or entity has allegedly defrauded thegovernment. Both federal and state laws provide a way for privatecitizens to sue, on the government’s behalf, companies andindividuals with allegations of defrauding the government. Iffound to have violated the False Claims Act, a person or entitycould be liable to the United States Government for a civilpenalty of not less than $5,500 and not more than $11,000 perfalse claim, plus up to 3 times the amount of damages that thegovernment sustained because of that person’s act. Criminalpenalties and exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid,and other Federal health care programs may also result from violationsof the False Claims Act. Some states, including Tennessee,have additional fines and damages for claims against Medicaidprograms. The reporter may be entitled to a portion of the recovery.All potential allegations of patient abuse, including physical,emotional, or sexual, should be reported to the entity risk managerpromptly for investigation. The entity may collaborate withcorporate risk management regarding the potential abuse andrequired reporting to the appropriate authorities and externalagencies.Employees who bring forth allegations under either federal orstate False Claims Act(s) are afforded protection from discriminationbecause of their acts as whistleblowers. The acts providethat courts may award the following types of relief to make anemployee whole: reinstatement of employment; back pay; andcompensation for any special damages, including litigation costsand reasonable attorneys’ fees.51