Halifax Health is a system of hospitals and professional centers in Volusia and Flagler counties in the U.S. state of Florida. It was established in 1928.[1]
US Department of Justice and the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sued the Halifax system for alleged violations of the Stark Law. The government claimed that Halifax's bonus structure deliberately improperly incentivized medical oncologists to refer Medicare patients to the hospital, and paid oncologists above-market rates. The case was initiated by a whistleblower, Elin Baklid-Kunz, who filed a complaint under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. After the District Court for the Middle District of Florida ruled in favor of the government in November 2013, Halifax agreed to settle the claims with a payment of $85 million in March 2014.[2][3]