Congressman Elijah E. Cummings Proudly Representing Maryland's 7th District

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 26, 2005

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Devika Koppikar
(202) 225-4741 or (202) 225-4025
Trudy Perkins
(410) 685-9199 or (202) 225-4741
Mike Christianson
(410) 685-9199 or (202) 225-9876

Congressman Elijah E. Cummings Comments on Agreement Between Maryland General Hospital and the State of Maryland

Baltimore, MD -- Today, Congressman Cummings released the following statement in response to the news that the Maryland Office of the Attorney General has reached an agreement with Maryland General Hospital. Under this agreement, the Hospital will reimburse Maryland’s Medicaid program $55,029.00, representing Medicaid payments made for unverifiable HIV tests performed by the Hospital’s laboratory between August 2002 and August 2003.

“I am pleased that Maryland General Hospital (MGH) has agreed to reimburse Maryland’s Medicaid program for tests that were inaccurately administered and that produced unverifiable results. This reimbursement represents another step toward the restoration of Maryland General Hospital’s good name.

“MGH has shown remarkable progress in rectifying its administrative problems and restoring confidence in its services. The Hospital has responded to the challenges it has faced by putting new leadership in place. MGH has also corrected its laboratory operations to comply with all regulatory requirements and to ensure that physicians and patients can rely on the results of the tests it performs to diagnose illnesses and design treatment regimens.

“Maryland General Hospital is the primary health care provider for many residents in Baltimore. I will continue to work with Hospital officials and with oversight agencies such as the College of American Pathologists to make sure the Hospital meets all current professional standards and takes all possible precautions to ensure the health and safety of all of its patients.”

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