- A discussion
Fraud and Abuse
NY Man Jailed for 12 years for $600 Million Healthcare Fraud
By Chris Kutner on
A Long Island man who impersonated the general counsel of the NFL and an NBA player as part of his scheme for multiple frauds will now serve jail time. Sentenced in federal court in Central Islip, Matthew James used physicians throughout the country to bill health insurers fraudulently to the tune of hundreds of millions…
CT Psychologists Convicted for Medicaid Fraud
By Rivkin Rounds Staff on
On December 19, Michael Lonski, a Greenwich psychologist, was sentenced to a 27-month prison term and three more years of supervised release for a scheme to defraud Medicaid. Lonski submitted over 80,000 claims from 2014 to 2019, and in calendar year 2017 he submitted claims for services on all but one day—including holidays and weekends.
NJ Hospital and Investors to Pay $30.6 Million to Settle FCA Claims
By Eric Fader on
The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced that Silver Lake Hospital, a long-term care hospital in Newark, New Jersey, and some of its investors agreed to pay $30.6 million to settle claims that they violated the False Claims Act (FCA) and the Federal Debt Collection Procedures Act (FDCPA). The hospital allegedly overbilled Medicare by claiming…
OIG Advisory Opinion Blesses Gift Card Plan
By Eric Fader on
A recent Advisory Opinion (No. 23-15) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) concluded that a healthcare consulting company’s plan to offer gift cards to physician practices in exchange for referring potential new customers to the company does not violate the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS).
The consulting company…
Health Network Pays $345 Million for Compensating Physicians Above FMV
By Ada Janocinska on
Community Health Network, Inc., based in Indianapolis, Indiana, has paid $345 million to settle alleged violations of the False Claims Act (FCA). The lawsuit was initiated through a whistleblower complaint that was filed in 2014 by the network’s former Chief Financial Officer. The suit alleged that, between 2008 and 2009, the network recruited hundreds of…
Brooklyn Cardiologist Hit with Fraud Charges
By Eric Fader on
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…
NY Physician, Wife and Staff Admit AKS Violations
By Eric Fader on
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Trenton, NJ announced on November 22 that primary care physician Yitzchok “Barry” Kurtzer of Monsey, NY, and his wife pleaded guilty to soliciting and receiving kickbacks and bribes in exchange for ordering genetic tests. Kurtzer had offices in the Scranton, PA area that his wife helped manage. Two of his…
NJ man arrested for selling counterfeit supplements on Amazon
By Rivkin Rounds Staff on
A September 29 article in NutraIngredients-USA, “New Jersey Man Arrested for Selling Counterfeit Supplements on Amazon,” discussed the arrest of Brad Snyder of Marlton, NJ, for allegedly counterfeiting Pure Encapsulations and Nature M.D. branded products and selling them online. Rivkin Radler’s Steve Shapiro was quoted in the article.
Steve noted the seriousness…
NY Cardiologist Settles AKS Claims for $6.5 Million
By Eric Fader on
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced on September 18 that cardiologist Klaus Peter Rentrop and his practice, Gramercy Cardiac Diagnostic Services, P.C., agreed to pay $6.5 million to settle allegations that they violated the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and Stark Law. Rentrop admitted to paying physicians millions of dollars in…