Two New York ophthalmology practices have agreed to pay a combined $2.3 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations of billing Medicare and Medicaid for medically unnecessary transcranial doppler ultrasounds through a kickback arrangement with a third-party testing company, the Justice Department said in a July 31 news release.
New York City-based Fromer Eye Centers and Floral Park (N.Y.) Ophthalmology allegedly performed TCDs on thousands of patients and applied false diagnoses to justify the tests before patients even received their results. Floral Park Ophthalmology also allegedly received kickbacks from the third-party testing company to induce patient referrals. Fromer Eye Centers and the estate of its former owner, Mark Fromer, will pay $1.8 million, while Floral Park Ophthalmology will pay $500,000.
The settlement is part of a broader DOJ investigation into TCD billing by eye care practices, which has now resulted in resolutions with at least nine practices.
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