The Justice Department has filed a False Claims Act complaint against chiropractor Yury Gampel and his 15 Modern Vascular labs for allegedly false illegal relationships and transactions.
The complaint alleges that Mr. Gampel and Modern Vascular offered physicians investments into the office-based labs so they would refer Medicare and Tricare patients to Modern Vascular for peripheral arterial disease treatment, according to a Dec. 13 news release from the Justice Department. It also states that Mr. Gampel pressured vascular surgeons and interventional radiologists employed at the lab to increase volume by tracking procedures and setting strict weekly and monthly goals. This allegedly occurred from January 2018 through June 2022.
"Improper financial arrangements between healthcare providers and referring physicians can lead to overutilization and increase the cost of healthcare services paid by taxpayers," Brian Boynton, principal deputy assistant attorney general and head of the Justice Department's civil division said. "We will continue to ensure that healthcare decisions are based on the needs of patients and not the financial interests of providers."
Fifteen Modern Vascular labs and five affiliated companies were named in the allegations.