December 20, 2022

BioTelemetry Inc. and its subsidiary CardioNet LLC, which provide cardiac monitoring services (including Holter and mobile cardiovascular telemetry (MCT) tests), will pay $44.875 million to resolve claims that they submitted false claims to federal healthcare programs for cardiac monitoring services that were improperly performed overseas and by unqualified technicians.  CardioNet used an India-based contractor to perform diagnostic and analysis services of heart monitoring data, and while it had a formal policy of sending such data for federal healthcare beneficiaries to a U.S.-based independent diagnostic testing facility for review and analysis, in fact, substantial amounts of such data was sent to its Indian contractor.  The government further alleged that most of the offshore technicians tasked with reviewing ECG Data for federal healthcare program beneficiaries did not have the basic qualifications to perform the tests in question. The government’s investigation was initiated by a qui tam action filed by former CardioNet employees Christopher Strasinski and Philip Leone, who will share a whistleblower award of approximately $8.3 million.  DOJ; USAO ED PA

Tagged in: FCA Federal, Healthcare Fraud, Improper Medical Personnel, Laboratory and IDTF, Whistleblower Case, Whistleblower Rewards,