The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas announced on August 20 that National Interventional Radiology Partners PLLC (NIRP) and its founder and CEO will pay $8,884,091 to the United States to resolve alleged violations of the federal False Claims Act (FCA) and Anti-Kickback Statute. NIRP and Dr. Andrew Gomes allegedly illegally paid
Guilty Plea in $50 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
Manishkumar Patel of Pelham Manor, NY recently pleaded guilty in connection with a healthcare fraud and kickback scheme involving the sale of fraudulent prescriptions to pharmacies, durable medical equipment suppliers, and laboratories, which then obtained payments from Medicare. The scheme resulted in $50 million in fraudulent claims from 2019-22.
Patel and a co-conspirator worked with
Lab Owner Pleads Guilty in Covid Test Kit Fraud Scheme
Robert Clark of Pompano Beach, Florida recently pleaded guilty to his role in a Medicare fraud scheme. Clark and his co-conspirators purchased Medicare Beneficiary Identification numbers unlawfully and then billed Medicare for over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits. The conspirators also paid illegal kickbacks and bribes to marketers for referring Medicare beneficiaries for genetic tests.
Approximately $30
Brooklyn Cardiologist Hit with Fraud Charges
On December 14, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and other agencies announced the indictment of Niranjan Mittal, a Brooklyn cardiologist, on multiple fraud charges. Mittal allegedly fabricated patient records, paid physicians for patient referrals, and billed for medically unnecessary procedures. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also filed a civil fraud
NJ DME Company Owner Pleads Guilty to Kickback Scheme
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for New Jersey recently announced that Alexander Schleider of Lakewood pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud in a durable medical equipment (DME) kickback scheme.
Schleider owned and operated several DME companies that provided orthotic braces to beneficiaries of Medicare and other healthcare benefit programs regardless of
Bronx Nursing Home Settles AKS/FCA Case
The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced that Morris Park Nursing Home, a skilled nursing facility in the Bronx, and two individuals agreed to pay a total of $3.46 million to resolve federal Anti-Kickback Statute and False Claims Act violations. The schemes included paying cash kickbacks to a supervisor at a nearby hospital in exchange
Second Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Therapist’s Free Speech Claim
In the case Brokamp v. James, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on April 27 affirmed the dismissal of Elizabeth Brokamp’s suit against New York officials. The Virginia-licensed mental health counselor’s suit claiming that New York’s licensing laws violated her right to free speech was previously dismissed by a lower court.
PHE HIPAA Enforcement Discretion to Expire, Restoring Compliance Obligations
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced on April 11 that the Notifications of Enforcement Discretion issued under HIPAA and the HITECH Act during the federal COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) will expire when the PHE ends on May 11.
The four Notifications of Enforcement Discretion that will
New Legislation Protects New Yorkers with Medical Debt
New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently signed legislation designed to prevent New York hospitals and medical providers from employing certain collection practices against patients with medical debt. This protection became effective immediately upon the Governor’s signing.
The legislation prohibits providers and hospitals from previous collection practices of garnishing up to 10% of a patient’s paycheck
Fitbit Unveils Smartwatch AFib Detection
In a recent blog post, Fitbit unveiled three new devices in its product line. One of the newly debuted watches, the Sense 2, includes an atrial fibrillation (AFib) detection algorithm that recently received FDA clearance.
The AFib detection technology relies on a photoplethysmography (PPG) optical heart-rate sensor that reads the heart rhythm of its