Las Vegas’ Nevada Heart & Vascular Center agreed to pay $2.5 million this week to settle claims that its physicians referred patients for genetic testing in exchange for kickbacks from the testing companies, KTNV Las Vegas reported June 19.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will hold accountable fraudulent medical companies that seek to line their pockets by undermining the integrity of healthcare programs,” U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich said, per KTNV. “We work closely with our law enforcement partners to stop illicit activity and I encourage individuals with information of fraud to make a report to authorities.”
The Heart & Vascular Center is accused of referring Medicare patients to Natural Molecular Testing Corp. and Iverson Genetic Diagnostics, Inc., for genetic testing between September 2012 and May 2013 in return for money—a violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute and the civil False Claims Act.
The practice has agreed to pay $2.5 million to the United States to settle any potential liability in the scheme.
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After graduating from Indiana University-Bloomington with a bachelor’s in journalism, Anicka joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering cardiology. Close to her heart is long-form journalism, Pilot G-2 pens, dark chocolate and her dog Harper Lee.