Ameritox, Ltd. pays $16.3 million to resolve kickback claims
Compliance Monitor, November 24, 2010
Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Compliance Monitor!
Ameritox, Ltd., a laboratory based in Midland, TX, agreed to pay the U.S. government $16.3 million to settle allegations that the company paid kickbacks to providers to induce Medicare referrals, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release.
Ameritox provides drug testing services that measure the quality and quantity of drugs in a patient’s system. Physicians use the information to identify patients who are not compliant with their medication regimen and patients who are at risk of diverting their medications.
According to the DOJ, Ameritox made cash payments to physician clients from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2006, to induce referrals for drug testing services. The settlement resolves claims that Ameritox offered free collector personnel to physicians from January 1, 2003, to June 30, 2010, in order to induce the referrals.
Debra Maul, a former Ameritox sales representative, filed the case under the qui tam provision of the False Claims Act. She will receive $3.4 million of the federal share of the settlement.
Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Compliance Monitor!
Related Products
-
The Compliance Officer's Handbook, 2nd Edition
This revised edition is packed with even more practical tools, case studies, tips and tools, sample audits, and sample...
-
Homecare Audit Prevention:
Home health care is under more layers of regulatory scrutiny than ever before. Plus, under health care reform, the...
-
Observation Services
Here is the essential guide for understanding observation services and the most recent regulatory guidance for inpatient...
-
The RAC Toolkit for Hospitals and Health Systems
The RAC Toolkit for Hospitals and Health Systems: Manage Responses and Avoid Claims Under the Permanent Program is your...
-
Stark Law, 2nd edition: A user's guide to achieving compliance
This updated version of HCPro's Stark Law best seller, first published in 2005—and now co-authored by former CMS Stark...
Most Popular
- Articles
-
- Q/A: Volume requirement for reporting hydration services
- HIPAA Q&A: Level of encryption needed for email
- Featured blog post: Nurses face felony charges after reporting physician to the Texas Medical Board
- Catch up on what's new with injections and infusions
- Identify potential Medicaid RAC target areas
- Capturing all necessary codes for IUD insertion and removal can be challenging
- Topic: CMS, OESS post new security compliance review information, checklist
- What does case-mix index mean to you?
- OB services: Coding inside and outside of the package
- Q/A: Coding infusions to correct low potassium levels
- E-mailed
-
- Q/A: Volume requirement for reporting hydration services
- HIPAA Q&A: Level of encryption needed for email
- Featured blog post: Nurses face felony charges after reporting physician to the Texas Medical Board
- CMS has reformulated payments for some bilateral procedures
- Q&A: Follow CMS' coding guidelines when using modifier -25
- Understand the spine to code back procedures correctly
- What does case-mix index mean to you?
- Catch up on what's new with injections and infusions
- New conflicts of interest create new challenges
- Q/A. One injection code or two?
- Searched