{"id":56071,"date":"2024-04-29T16:39:14","date_gmt":"2024-04-29T23:39:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=56071"},"modified":"2024-04-29T16:39:14","modified_gmt":"2024-04-29T23:39:14","slug":"laboratory-marketer-and-north-carolina-physicians-agree-to-pay-over-1-3m-to-settle-alleged-kickbacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=56071","title":{"rendered":"Laboratory Marketer and North Carolina Physicians Agree to Pay Over $1.3M to Settle Alleged Kickbacks"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Laboratory marketer Thomas Anthony Carnaggio of Irmo, South Carolina, and his marketing company, as well as three physicians in Charlotte, North Carolina, Steven Bauer, M.D., Larry Berman, M.D., and Alireza Nami, M.D., and their medical practices, have agreed to pay a total of $1.3 million settlement.<\/span><\/p>\n

The money was paid to\u00a0resolve alleged False Claims Act violations arising from their involvement in laboratory kickback schemes. <\/span><\/p>\n

The parties have agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department\u2019s investigations of other participants in the alleged schemes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\"brown\u201cUsing financial inducements to steer patients to a particular laboratory for taxpayer-funded testing can distort medical decision-making and result in unnecessary services,\u201d said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department\u2019s Civil Division. \u201cWe will diligently pursue those who undermine the integrity of federal health care programs by violating rules designed to protect the programs and their beneficiaries from fraud and abuse.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The claims resolved by the settlements are only allegations. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare, TRICARE, and other federally funded healthcare programs. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Anti-Kickback Statute is intended to ensure that medical providers\u2019 judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives and are instead based on the best interests of their patients.<\/span><\/p>\n

The settlement announced Monday resolves allegations that a marketer and his marketing company offered kickbacks to doctors on behalf of a laboratory in Anderson, South Carolina, and that doctors and their medical practices received kickbacks from the laboratory in return for laboratory referrals. <\/span><\/p>\n

The alleged kickbacks resulted in the submission of false or fraudulent laboratory testing claims to Medicare and TRICARE in violation of the False Claims Act.<\/span><\/p>\n