Cardiology practice, cardiologists pay $4.75M to resolve DOJ fraud allegations
A Phoenix-based cardiology practice and three of its cardiologists have agreed to pay $4.75 million to resolve allegations that they performed medically unnecessary ablation procedures.
Tri-City Cardiology and three employees—Jaskamal Kahlon, MD, Joshua D. Cohen, MD, and M. Joshua Berkowitz, MD—were accused of violating the False Claims Act by performing ablations on perforator veins that “did not qualify for treatment under accepted standards of medical practice.” These veins do sometimes require treatment, but the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said these physicians allegedly collected incorrect measurements on purpose and then falsified medical records to justify performing the ablations.
The alleged scheme occurred from January 2017 to April 2022.
“Physicians should not prioritize profit over patient needs,” Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the DOJ’s Civil Division said in a statement. “Medicare and other federal programs pay only for medical care that meets accepted standards, and the falsification of medical records undermines efforts to assess whether medical care was appropriate.”
“Paying for unnecessary medical procedures reduces federal programs’ capacity to pay for truly necessary procedures,” added Timothy Courchaine, United States Attorney for the District of Arizona. “When medical providers do not respect the difference between the two and bill in the interest of their own bottom line instead of their patients, the United States Attorney’s Office has pursued and will continue to pursue appropriate recoveries to protect taxpayer funds.”
According to the DOJ, this settlement highlights the federal government’s efforts to combat healthcare fraud. Anyone with tips or complaints related to potential fraud, waste, abuse or mismanagement is urged to contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The agency also emphasized that the claims detailed in this civil settlement remain allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.