October 21, 2014
Kentucky-based cardiologists Satyabrata Chatterjee and Ashwini Anand, who jointly owned cardiologist physician group Cumberland Clinic, agreed to pay $380,000 to resolve allegations they violated the False Claims Act by entering into sham management agreements with Saint Joseph Hospital in exchange for the referral of cardiology procedures and other healthcare services to Saint Joseph. The government alleged that St. Joseph Hospital entered into sham agreements with Chatterjee and Anand, under which the physicians were paid to provide management services but did not in fact do so and that in exchange Chatterjee and Anand agreed to enter into an exclusive agreement with Saint Joseph to refer Cumberland Clinic patients to the hospital for cardiology and other services in violation of the Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute. The government previously entered into a $16.5M settlement with Saint Joseph for the allegedly sham management contracts for unnecessary and excessive cardiology procedures. The allegations originated from a whistleblower lawsuit filed by three Lexington, Kentucky cardiologists under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. The three whistleblowers, Drs. Michael Jones, Paula Hollingsworth and Michael Rukavina, will collectively receive a whistleblower award of $68,400. DOJ
Tagged in: Anti-Kickback and Stark, FCA Federal, Hospital Fraud, Whistleblower Case, Whistleblower Rewards,