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Suit: Health Group Falsified Signatures For Police, Fire Records

CHICAGO (STMW) - The U.S. government filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against a health organization that allegedly falsified specialists' signatures on medical records for Chicago police and fire employees.

The suit claims the city hired U.S. Occupational Health Inc. in 1999 to perform medical exams and tests for city employees and applicants to make sure they were fit for duty, according to a suit filed in U.S. District Court. U.S. Occupational Health did the exams until October 2005.

The tests, which were preformed on firefighters and police officers in special units, included comprehensive pulmonary function studies, cardiology tests, electrocardiograms (EKGs) and chest and spinal X-rays, according to the suit.

The suit claims the city required board-certified specialists to interpret the results, but instead employees used a signature stamp with the specialists' name to approve the tests without the doctors actually reviewing the results.

From 1999 to 2005 U.S. Occupational Health examined and tested more than 10,000 personnel and candidates and charged the city $41,596, according to the suit.

U.S. Occupational Health, 205 W. Randolph St., could not be reached for comment.

© Sun-Times Media Wire Chicago Sun-Times 2011. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

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