The hospital agreed to the payment without admitting any guilt or wrong doing. The 
charges were in excess of what is considered normal inpatient fees. There are not additional details here.
I am almost betting one could audit almost hospital today and find items as such and perhaps not as high as this, but when you go back and run audit tables over what has been done over the years, this is what happens. 
Just as a footnote, this is where the John Wayne Cancer Institute is located which is one of the most comprehensive centers for advancing surgical oncology and is supported largely with donations. BD
A Santa Monica hospital has agreed to pay the federal government $5.25 million to resolve allegations it submitted inflated claims to Medicare.
Federal prosecutors say from 1996 through 2003, Saint John's Health Center engaged in "turbocharging," meaning it dramatically increased charges billed to Medicare for care provided to hospital inpatients far in excess of any increase in costs associated with that care.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/08/25/state/n161758D90.DTL&type=health
![EZClaim[4]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/_v3zjJigoAPE/TG1-9etl5ZI/AAAAAAAAgqg/CRMlet5Pi5k/EZClaim44.png?imgmax=800 "EZClaim[4]")
Math–This Could be a Subject for Michael Moore to Explore and Document In a Movie
Screenings Too–Killer Algorithms Part 12–Medical Billing Codes Style
Assessing Consumer Credit Scores–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 21 With Flawed Data
Duping” Society Combined With A World of Rogue Algorithms & Flawed Data Continues In Markets As Seen With Knight Capital This Week-Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 36
Study Fraud With EHR Technologies, Namely Medical Records/Billing Software Used by Hospitals– HHS And SEC Continue Getting Their Non-Algorithmic Fannies Kicked–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 46
SilverScript Senior Drug Program Sanctioned by Medicare Until the Payment And Billing Algorithms are Cleaned Up-Killer Algorithms Chapter 53
