COVID-19 in Mecklenburg: 1136 cases, 24 related deaths.

April 17. Mecklenburg County reports COVID-19 outbreaks—two or more positive cases—at Hunter Woods Nursing & Rehab Center, Huntersville Oaks, Pavilion Health Center, Autumn Care of Cornelius, The Social at Cotswold, Carrington Place Rehab & Living Center and The Laurels.

The Mecklenburg County Health Dept. did not disclose how many cases are at each facility.

County-wide there are 1,136 cases diagnosed and 24 related deaths.

Saber in the news

Autumn Care of Cornelius is operated by Saber Healthcare Group. The nursing home chain agreed to pay $10 million to settle whistleblower allegations that it billed Medicare for unnecessary rehabilitation services, the Department of Justice said this past week.

The services amounted to health-care fraud and violated the False Claims Act, the DOJ alleged, but none of the complaints occurred at the Cornelius operation.

The settlement does not establish that Saber was liable for the allegations, the government’s announcement said.

Saber disputed the allegations in a statement and said it “has the utmost confidence that its facilities have acted in compliance with applicable laws and regulations in providing the best possible care to each and every patient.”

Saber said that their “resources are better spent in serving our patients’ needs and supporting our employees rather than continuing to litigate” during this critical time for healthcare providers.