DaVita Healthcare Partners has reached an agreement with the U.S. government that would settle an investigation into whether its relationships with physicians violated the anti-kickback statute.
Specific terms of the agreement are still being negotiated, but the company said in an earnings release that it expects to finalize the settlement in the coming months.
HHS' inspector general's office in Dallas launched its investigation in 2010, and the U.S. attorney in Denver followed suit the following year. The inquiries focused on DaVita's joint ventures with nephrologists to operate dialysis clinics.