Contact

Click here for a confidential contact or call:

1-212-350-2774

Laboratory and IDTF

This archive displays posts tagged as relevant to laboratories and independent diagnostic testing facilities. You may also be interested in our pages:

Page 10 of 15

March 15, 2019

Connecticut Behavioral Health Associates, P.C. and its principal, psychiatrist Bassam Awwa, who treat patients for substance abuse, will pay $3.3 million in a settlement with the federal government and Connecticut. Defendants allegedly billed Medicare and Medicaid for multiple drug screening tests per patient visit, instead of the single test authorized.  In addition, defendants submitted bills for urine alcohol screening that were already a component of the single test, and for definitive urine drug tests that were not actually performed.  USAO CT

February 11, 2019

GenomeDx Biosciences Corp. has agreed to pay $1.99 million in connection with a whistleblower complaint by two former employees, which alleged that the genetic testing laboratory violated the False Claims Act in its submissions to Medicare. According to the unnamed whistleblowers, from 2015 to 2017, GenomeDx submitted reimbursement claims for running a post-operative genetic test on prostate cancer patients, even though that population did not have risk factors that called for the test. They will share in a $348,316.50 award as part of the settlement. USAO SDCA

Catch of the Week – Inform Diagnostics

Posted  02/1/19
Technician in laboratory safety wear using eyedropper to fill vials of blood
Texas-based pathology laboratory company Inform Diagnostics, formerly known as Miraca Life Sciences Inc., agreed on January 30th to a $63.5 million settlement to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act (“FCA”), the Anti-Kickback Statute (“AKS”), and the Stark Law by providing subsidies to referring physicians for electronic health record (“EHR”) technology as well as free or discounted...

January 30, 2019

Inform Diagnostics, formerly known as Miraca Life Sciences Inc., will pay $63.5 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act, Anti-Kickback Statute and Stark Law.  The pathology laboratory company provided referring physicians with subsidies for electronic health records systems, as well as free or discounted technology consulting services, which were alleged to constitute improper financial relationships not subject to any safe harbor.  Three separate whistleblowers had filed qui tam lawsuits against the laboratory; they will receive a share of the settlement that is yet to be determined.  DOJ; USAO MDTN

December 19, 2018

Molecular Testing Labs, based in Vancouver, Washington, has agreed to settle claims that it violated the False Claims Act by paying local laboratories in exchange for referrals, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute.  The amount of the settlement will be determined in ongoing litigation between Molecular Testing Labs and CMS, and could be between $180,000 and $1,777,738. USAO WDWA

November 28, 2018

Dr. Thomas Baker, Dr. Carolyn Kochert, Dr. Larry L. Zhou, and Dr. Julie Y. Chao, have agreed to settle with the United States Government for violation of the Federal False Claims Act, the Physician Self-Referral law (“Stark”), and the Anti-Kickback Statute due to their involvement in a kickback scheme with Southwest Laboratories and Medscan Laboratory, thus causing false claims to be submitted to Medicare. The four physicians will pay a total amount of over $1.5 million. The individual amounts paid are as follows: Dr. Baker, of Tennessee - $484,481.80; Dr. Kochert, of Indiana - $129,682.84; Dr. Zhou, of Kentucky - $277,758.18; Dr. Chao, of Indiana - $650,000. DOJ

November 20, 2018

Gray Wesley Barrow, a doctor and co-owner of Louisiana Spine & Sports LLC, a pain management clinic in Baton Rouge, has pleaded guilty to receiving approximately $336,000 in unlawful kickbacks.  According to the plea, between 2014 and 2016 Barrow sent urine specimens collected from his patients to a drug testing laboratory that agreed to pay him a percentage of the reimbursements paid to the laboratory by health care benefit programs including Medicare. DOJ; USAO M.D. La.

September 19, 2018

Calloway Laboratories, Inc.—a Massachusetts-based clinical laboratory—has been ordered to pay a civil judgment of $1,374,058 to settle claims first brought to light by a former employee in a whistleblower lawsuit. The laboratory allegedly violated the Anti-Kickback Statute, Stark Law, and False Claims Act over the course of six months by providing free testing supplies to doctors in exchange for referrals and then submitting reimbursement claims for testing arising from these improper referrals to Medicare and TRICARE. USAO EDKY

August 29, 2018

Atlantic Mobile Imaging Services, Inc. has agreed to pay $321,388.50 to settle allegations that it knowingly billing federal healthcare programs over $160,000 for x-ray services provided while it was unlicensed, in violation of the False Claims Act. The alleged fraud took place over a span of six months in 2015. USAO MDFL

March 8, 2018

Genetic testing company Natera, Inc. agreed to pay roughly $11.4 million to settle claims it violated the False Claims Act by improperly billing federal healthcare programs for Natera’s non-invasive prenatal test known as Panorama. The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by Sallie McAdoo and Steven Aldridge. They will receive a yet-to-be-determined whistleblower award from the proceeds of the government’s recovery. DOJ (WDKY)
1 8 9 10 11 12 15