CORPORATE CRIME REPORTER
Phoenix
Hospital, Two Doctors' Groups to Pay U.s. $6.7 Million to Settle False Claims
Act Case
21 Corporate Crime Reporter 44, November 5, 2007
Arizona Heart Hospital in Phoenix and two groups of doctors associated with
the health care facility will pay the United States $6,720,412 to settle allegations
that they improperly billed Medicare for non-covered procedures in which artificial
graft devices were used to treat patients with aortic aneurisms.
Some of the procedures were not covered for reimbursement by Medicare because they involved devices that were considered experimental by Medicare at the time the procedures were performed.
In
other cases, the procedures did not comply with approved protocols for devices
that were in clinical trials.
Arizona Heart Hospital will pay $5,820,412 in one settlement.
Two other entities, Arizona Heart Institute and AHI Cardiovascular Surgeons Ltd., have paid the remaining $900,000.
“Limited
Medicare dollars should not be spent on procedures that remain experimental,"
said Peter D. Keisler, Acting Attorney General and Assistant Attorney General
for the Department's Civil Division. “We will continue to be vigilant
to keep providers from attempting to circumvent the requirements of federal
law.”
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Crime Reporter
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