Sixteen separate cardiology practices across 12 states have agreed to pay a total of more than $17.7 million to resolve allegations they overbilled Medicare for diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals.
Here are the settling medical practices and associated physicians have agreed to pay the following amounts, according to a Dec. 20 news release from the Justice Department.
- Western Kentucky Heart & Lung Associates and Mohammed Kazimuddin, MD: $6,750,000 (Bowling Green)
- Heart Clinic of Paris (Texas) and Arjumand Hashmi, MD: $2.6 million
- Scranton (Pa.) Cardiovascular Physician Services and Jasjit Walia, MD, and Preet Randhawa, MD: $2.4 million
- Shannon Clinic: $996,856 (San Angelo, Texas)
- Edward Leahey Professional Association and Edward Leahey,MD: $894,679 (Morristown, N.J.)
- Metropolitan Cardiovascular Consultants and Ayim Djamson, MD: $846,888 (Lanham, Md.)
- Cardiology Center of New Jersey, Mario Criscito, MD, Frank Iacovone, MD, and Sameer Kaul, MD: $740,000 (Clifton)
- Clovis (N.M.) Cardiology Associates and Mahamadu Fuseini, MD: $600,000
- Family Medical Specialty Clinic, Melecio Abordo, MD, and June Abadilla, MD: $409,594 (Paducah, Ky.)
- James Higgins, MD: $395,537 (California, Md.)
- TrustCare Health: $279,407 (Ridgeland, Miss.)
- Taj Medical: $240,000 (Los Angeles)
- White River Diagnostic Clinic, Margaret Kuykendall, MD, and Seth Barnes, MD: $234,490 (Batesville, Ariz.)
- Boulder (Colo.) Medical Center: $160,000
These cardiology practices allegedly regularly reported inflated acquisition costs to Medicare for diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals and radioisotopes bound to biological molecules used to diagnose and treat certain cancers and diseases.
The settling practices engaged in this conduct allegedly for at least a year, and in some instances for more than a decade.