A Huntington Park, Calif., physician and his medical practice agreed to pay more than $6.73 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations of performing medically unnecessary vascular procedures on Medicare beneficiaries, the Justice Department said in a May 6 news release.
Between 2016 and 2024, Feliciano Serrano, MD, of Serrano Kidney & Vascular Access Center allegedly performed unnecessary dialysis access interventions on 18 patients and unnecessary peripheral artery disease interventions on 17 patients.
Dr. Serrano allegedly scheduled procedures on a routine basis without waiting for complications, overstated the degree of stenosis in medical records and told patients their legs would require amputation when there was little risk of that outcome. One patient received approximately 42 stents in a dialysis segment over seven years, while another received approximately 16 atherectomies in his legs over four years.
The case was initiated through a whistleblower complaint filed by Lincoln Analytics, which will receive approximately $976,000 as its share of the federal recovery.
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