Stamford, Conn.-based physician Steven Murphy, MD, and his practices, Murphy Medical Associates and Diagnostic and Medical Specialists of Greenwich (Conn.), have agreed to pay $866,539 to resolve allegations of COVID-19-related and healthcare fraud, according to an Oct. 16 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.
As part of the settlement with federal and Connecticut authorities, Dr. Murphy and his practices also agreed to be excluded from all federal healthcare programs for three years. The settlement covers September 2019 through April 2022.
The government alleged that Dr. Murphy and his practices billed HRSA’s COVID-19 Uninsured Program for patients they attested were uninsured, even though their files, including copies of insurance cards, showed some patients had coverage. The practices allegedly changed those patients’ insurance information in their EHR to “Covid19 HRSA Uninsured” before submitting the claims.
The government also alleged that Dr. Murphy’s in-house lab billed Medicare and Medicaid for individual blood tests within its standard panels that were never performed because the lab lacked the reagents needed to run them.
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