U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester | U.S. Department of Justice
Cardiovascular Specialists, Inc., and Dr. Stewart Katz have agreed to pay $270,000 to settle allegations of submitting false claims to Medicare and TRICARE. This announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
The Oklahoma-based corporation operated a cardiology clinic in Tulsa, where Dr. Katz practiced as a cardiologist. The United States government alleged that between January 1, 2016, and February 28, 2020, the clinic engaged in improper "incident-to" billing practices. It was claimed that services performed by nurse practitioners were billed under Dr. Katz's National Provider Identification number without his supervision at the clinic.
Further allegations stated that from January 1, 2015, through June 16, 2022, claims submitted for evaluation and management services should have been billed at a lower reimbursement level than they were.
The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed by a whistleblower who previously worked for Cardiovascular Specialists. The lawsuit was brought under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act which allows private individuals to sue on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery obtained from such suits. The United States intervened in this case and will dismiss the allegations as part of the settlement agreement.
Neither Cardiovascular Specialists nor Dr. Katz admitted liability in reaching this settlement, and no concessions were made by the United States regarding the legitimacy of their claims. The settlement aims to avoid further litigation costs and uncertainties.
The investigation received assistance from the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and HHS-OIG Office of Audit Services with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ronald R. Gallegos and Amanda R. Johnson.
