The three cardiologists were charged with receiving salaries from UMDNJ in exchange for “improperly” referring patients, according to the report. UMDNJ then charged Medicare for services that resulted from these referrals. Authorities from the federal government claim these salaries were only used as kickbacks for these referrals, which say stem from UMDNJ’s accreditation and funding that are dependent on the number of cardiac procedures the hospital performs.
Dr. Sahni agreed to pay $360,000 to settle the case against him, and Dr. Patel and Dr. Walia each agreed to pay $300,000, according to the report. The government has settled similar suits with six other cardiologists over the past year.
Read the report about the alleged New Jersey cardiologist kickback scheme.
