ANDREWS DEVALERIO Urges Physicians and Medical Professionals Who Can Prove a Medical Practice Group or Healthcare Company Is Gouging Medicare With Needless Medical Tests to Step Forward.

On September 11, 2017, the Department of Justice announced that a South Carolina family medical practice, its co-owner, and its laboratory director agreed to pay the United States $2 million to resolve a False Claims Act lawsuit alleging that they submitted and caused the submission of false claims to the Medicare and TRICARE programs.

Under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, private citizens can bring suit on behalf of the government for false claims and share in any recovery.  In this case, the whistleblower relator will receive $340,510.

The settlement resolves allegations that the healthcare company submitted claims to the Medicare Program that violated the physician self-referral prohibition, commonly known as the Stark Law, which is intended to ensure that a physician’s medical judgment is not compromised by improper financial incentives.  The Stark Law forbids a clinic from billing Medicare for certain services ordered by physicians who have a financial relationship with the entity.  Here, the government alleged that the Stark Law was violated by the healthcare company’s compensation plan that paid their physicians a percentage of the value of laboratory and other diagnostic tests that they personally ordered through the company, which the company then billed to Medicare.

Andrews DeValerio is urging medical doctors or a healthcare managers to call them anytime at 617-999-6473 if they possess proof that a medical practice group or healthcare company is gouging Medicare with needless medical tests. They are also extremely interested in talking to a physician if they have proof that any medical testing companies are giving kickbacks to medical doctors for utilizing, or over-utilizing medical tests. Whistleblowers can receive financial awards for this type of information.

If you are a medical professional, doctor, medical practice manager or nurse, and you can prove a blood testing company, a radiology group, a UA company or any other type of healthcare testing company is bribing physicians to use or overuse their services please call Andrews DeValerio anytime at 617-999-6473. If the  scheme is widespread there could be a significant whistleblower reward involved.  However, to protect any chance for a reward, you should contact experienced counsel before you reveal the fraud to anyone.