LOS ANGELES
A Huntington Park-based medical practice and its physician agreed to pay more than $6.7 million to resolve allegations they violated the False Claims Act by billing Medicare for medically unnecessary vascular procedures performed on Medicare patients, officials announced Wednesday.
Federal authorities alleged that from 2016 through 2024, Dr. Feliciano Serrano of Serrano Kidney & Vascular Access Center performed medically unnecessary dialysis access interventions, including angioplasty and stent procedures, on patients undergoing dialysis treatment.
According to the allegations, Dr. Serrano routinely scheduled procedures without waiting for medical complications to arise and repeatedly performed interventions every few days or weeks despite little or no clinical benefit to patients.
One Medicare patient allegedly received about 42 stents between 2016 and 2023, including during a period when Dr. Serrano reportedly told the patient dialysis treatment was no longer needed, officials stated.
Federal prosecutors also alleged that from 2019 through 2024, Dr. Serrano performed medically unnecessary peripheral artery disease procedures, including stent placements and atherectomies, on patients with mild or no arterial narrowing and only minor symptoms.
Authorities alleged that even when patients complained of pain in only one leg, procedures were performed on both legs and repeated every few months. Prosecutors said patients were warned they faced amputation if they declined treatment, despite little risk of amputation for mildly symptomatic peripheral artery disease.
One Medicare patient allegedly underwent about 16 atherectomy procedures between 2019 and 2023.
The government further alleged Dr. Serrano:
- Performed procedures on blood vessels that did not meet accepted medical treatment standards
- Overstated the severity of arterial narrowing in medical records
- Falsely documented symptoms and conservative treatment efforts
- Performed procedures beyond accepted standards of medical practice
Under the settlement agreement, Dr. Serrano will pay nearly $6.51 million to the federal government and approximately $229,000 to the State of California.
Quick Facts
- Settlement amount: More than $6.73 million
- Doctor involved: Dr. Feliciano Serrano
- Medical practice: Serrano Kidney & Vascular Access Center
- Location: Huntington Park, California
- Allegations: Billing Medicare for medically unnecessary vascular procedures
- Time period: 2016 to 2024
- Procedures involved: Angioplasty, stent procedures and atherectomies
- Law involved: False Claims Act