A federal court dismissed a whistleblower's claims that Kansas City, Mo.-based Saint Luke's Health System, its physician group and other affiliates schemed to overcompensate cardiologists for patient referrals, according to court documents filed April 25.
The claims, made by radiologist Jeffrey Kunin, MD, were "conclusory and generalized," the judge ruled. The court said that Dr. Kunin's fraud claims were based on the particularities of the compensation scheme rather than actual examples of false claims.
The complaint did not include details of an agreement between the defendants, the court said, and the evidence was insufficient to rule a violation of the False Claims Act.
Dr. Kunnin alleged Saint Luke’s Physician Group employs cardiologists and compensates them under an "equal share" system, where referrals are a factor when setting base salary.