A MESSAGE TO VENDORS AND CONTRACTORS
FEDERAL AND STATE FALSE CLAIMS ACTS
June 12, 2024 (date revised)

St. Tammany Health System (STHS) is committed to providing the highest quality care to our patients and conducts business with integrity and in compliance with applicable federal and state laws and regulations. We expect our vendors, contractors and business partners to understand, support and abide by our policies as applicable to the products or services you provide.

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The federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) and Louisiana's Medical Assistance Programs Integrity Law (LMAPIL) require organizations like STHS to establish written policies informing their employees, contractors and agents about the federal and state false claim acts and the role of those laws in detecting and preventing healthcare waste, fraud and abuse.

STHS has implemented required policies and procedures which are available and applicable to all employees, business partners and independent contractors who furnish healthcare items and services to our patients or on our behalf. STHS's corporate compliance plan sets the standards for conducting business with excellence, integrity and responsibility and provides guidelines that individuals may use to prevent and detect any violation of these laws. A copy of the plan is available via StTammany.health/Contractors.

As a Louisiana hospital service district, STHS also follows applicable provisions of the Louisiana Code of Governmental Ethics at LSA – RS 42:1101, et seq., and STHS’s business partners are expected to review and comply accordingly. Reference: CodeOfGovernmentalEthics.pdf (la.gov).

The False Claims Act 
This federal law (31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-3733) establishes liability when any person or entity improperly receives from or avoids payment to the United States government. The Act authorizes:

• Knowingly submits a false/fraudulent claim for payment to the United States government;
• Knowingly makes/uses a false record or statement to get a false or fraudulent claim paid by the United States government or conspires with others to get a false or fraudulent claim paid; or
• Knowingly makes any false record/statement to avoid or decrease an obligation to pay the government.

Anyone who knowingly submits a false or fraudulent claim to a Medicare, Medicaid or other federal healthcare program is liable to the federal government for three times the amount of the government's damages plus penalties of $5,000 to $10,000 per false or fraudulent claim. The government may also exclude these individuals from participating in Medicare, Medicaid and other government programs, and any person or entity that makes an intentional submission of a false claim is subject to federal criminal enforcement.

Louisiana has a false claims law which is called the "Medical Assistance Programs Integrity Law" (LSA-R.S. 46:437.1, et seq.), and it is very similar to the federal False Claims Act.

Examples of False Claims 
In healthcare, false claims include things such as billing twice for the same service or for services not rendered; billing for medically unnecessary services; unbundling or billing separately for services that should be billed as one; creating false medical records to increase payments; failing to report and refund overpayments; and giving or receiving unlawful inducements to healthcare providers for patient referrals.

Whistleblower Protections
Individuals who observe activities that may violate false claims laws in some way and who report their observations either to management or governmental agencies are protected under false claims laws. The protections are referred to as “whistleblower" protections. Whistleblowers may also share in a percentage of a government recovery in a false claims act action or settlement.

Reporting Suspected Healthcare Fraud and Abuse
Suspected instances of healthcare waste, fraud or abuse or other noncompliance with the laws describe in this document may be reported to STHS's Corporate Compliance Hotline at 1-866-786-3891. Callers are able to remain anonymous but must provide enough information for investigation. Reports may also be submitted to the Office of Inspector General (US Department of Health and Human Services) at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477) or the Louisiana Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at 1-888-799-6885. 

Effective Date June 12, 2024 (Revised)

ADVERTISEMENT 
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR
A CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT AT RISK (CMAR) PROJECT
FOR ST. TAMMANY PARISH HOSPITAL SERVICE DISTRICT NO. 1
D/B/A ST. TAMMANY HEALTH SYSTEM 

1. Pursuant to La. R.S. 38:2225.2.4 (“CMAR”), notice is hereby given that St. Tammany Parish Hospital Service District No. 1 d/b/a St. Tammany Health System (the “Owner”), a political subdivision of the State of Louisiana, is hereby soliciting Statements of Qualifications (“SOQs”) from qualified and licensed general contractors (“Proposers”) to provide comprehensive pre-construction design-assist services and construction management at risk services for Fourth Floor Buildout – South Tower Expansion (the “Project”).  The Owner issues this solicitation pursuant to the authority granted to it by La. R.S. 38:2225.2.4 F(1). 

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2. Proposers must submit SOQs to the Owner on or before 2:00 p.m. local time on or before June 5, 2026.  SOQs received after that time will not be accepted. 

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3. Each SOQ shall be sealed in an opaque envelope hand-delivered or sent by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, addressed to: St. Tammany Parish Hospital Service District No. 1, St. Tammany Health System, 1202 South Tyler Street, Covington, Louisiana 70433, Attention: Randy Willett, the Owner’s Director, Construction Management and Campus Transformation, and shall be identified on the outside of the envelope with the Proposer’s name, return address, contractor’s license number, and it shall also include the words “CMAR SOQ”, and contain the following Project name “Fourth Floor Buildout – South Tower Expansion”, St. Tammany Health System, Covington, Louisiana”.  If the sealed SOQ is sent by mail, the sealed envelope shall be enclosed in a separate mailing envelope with the notation “SEALED SOQ ENCLOSED” on the face of the envelope. Hand delivered SOQs will also be received, just before 2:00 p.m. local time on the SOQ opening date, in the Ponchatoula Conference Room at St. Tammany Health System.

Proposers have the option to submit SOQs electronically through www.centralbidding.com. If submitting an electronic proposal through www.centralbidding.com an electronic bid bond must be submitted. All questions regarding the electronic submission process shall be directed to Central Bidding at (225) 810-4814.

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4. Immediately after the time specified for SOQs to be received, in the Ponchatoula Conference Room at St. Tammany Health System, 1202 South Tyler Street, Covington, Louisiana 70433, SOQ envelopes will be opened publicly and the information on the outside of the envelopes will be read aloud.

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5. SOQs shall be submitted in compliance with the Owner’s Request for Qualifications which can be obtained from the Owner by requesting it from Randy Willett, Director, Construction Management and Campus Transformation, St. Tammany Health System, whose email address is rwillett@stph.org, and whose mailing address is 1202 S. Tyler St., Covington, LA 70433. 

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6. Interested Proposers must attend, in person, a mandatory project meeting at 11 a.m. on May 19, 2026 in the Ponchatoula Conference Room at St. Tammany Health System, 1202 South Tyler Street, Covington, Louisiana 70433.  SOQs submitted by Proposers will not be considered unless the Proposer attends the mandatory project meeting for the entire duration of the meeting.

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7. Proposers must maintain a current general contractor’s license with the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors for the major classification of Building Construction and certify that they are licensed contractors under Chapter 24 of Title 37 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes.

St. Tammany Parish Hospital Service District No. 1 d/b/a St. Tammany Health System

Joan M. Coffman

President/CEO

*.pdf version can be found HERE.