Two urologists have agreed to pay a combined $2.2 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations of performing medically unnecessary surgical procedures involving an implantable neurostimulation device and billing Medicare for the unnecessary procedures, the Justice Department said in a June 25 news release.
Robert Simon, MD, an Englewood, N.J.-based urologist, will pay $1.1 million and Nicole Fleischmann, MD, a White Plains, N.Y.-based urologist, will pay $1.1 million. Both admitted to causing Medicare to pay claims for implantations of the InterStim device without completing required preoperative testing.
Dr. Simon also admitted to performing unnecessary battery replacement surgeries, often within three years of implantation despite a five-year expected battery life, and to falsifying surgical notes to reflect successful preoperative tests even when his own records showed the tests did not support permanent implantation.
The case was initiated through a whistleblower complaint filed under the False Claims Act.
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