The attorney for Kishor N. Vora, a cardiologist based out of Owensboro, Kentucky, has called for a lawsuit against Vora to be dismissed due to a lack of evidence that any federal regulations were broken.
Back in 2020, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a complaint alleging that Vora, the owner of Owensboro Heart & Vascular and Owensboro Medical Practice, had submitted more than $3 million in false Medicare claims in 2012-2013 as part of “an elaborate scheme to maximize profits.”
The original lawsuit, detailed here on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website, argued that Vora “knowingly and willfully accepted illegal kickbacks” from a laboratory and ordered tests that the government believed to be “medically unnecessary and unreasonable.”
According to a new report from the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, however, Vora’s attorney is pushing for the lawsuit to be dismissed. While the government alleges that Vora ordered tests without verifying if each one was necessary, Vora’s attorney argued that the cardiologist was not legally required to do so.
“The only condition of payment ... is that tests must be ordered by the patient’s treating physician,” Merrick wrote in his motion, as quoted by the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer.
The judge in this case has not yet made a decision.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.