Two Florida physician groups and two physicians have agreed to pay $810,301 to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act, the Justice Department said in a June 20 news release.
What happened?
- Between 2015 and 2024, Vascular and Interventional Specialists, Vascular and Spine Institute, Oscar Sosa, MD, and Osmany DeAngelo, DO, submitted claims for medically unnecessary percutaneous transluminal angioplasties, according to the Justice Department.
- The providers were accused of performing hundreds of PTA procedures without conducting proper diagnostic evaluations or establishing clinical justifications. Despite the lack of medical necessity, they billed federal healthcare programs, including Medicare, for the procedures.
- The allegations arose from a lawsuit filed by a whistleblower, Emilio Lopez, M.D., under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. Under the False Claims Act, private citizens can bring suit on behalf of the government for false claims and share in any recovery. Dr. Lopez will receive approximately $186,369 from the recovery announced today.
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