Ameritox, a drug-testing company based in Midland, Texas, has agreed to pay $16.3 million to settle a false claims lawsuit accusing the company of paying kickbacks to physicians, according to a St. Petersburg Times news report.
The settlement is the result of a whistleblower lawsuit filed by a former Ameritox senior sale representative Debra Maul, who filed the lawsuit after unsuccessfully trying to bring the company's attention to the illegal practice. Prosecutors said Ameritox marketed its drug-testing services to physicians who provided care to Medicare beneficiaries. The company allegedly made cash payments to some of those physicians in exchange for collecting urine samples from their patients and sending them to Ameritox for testing, according to separate report.
Ameritox responded in a statement saying the money paid to physicians was for administrative purposes "related to specimen processing for Ameritox's specialized testing." The company also said it settled the lawsuit so it could focus on its customers and achieving optimal patient outcomes, according to the report.
Read the St. Petersburg Times news report about Ameritox's settlement.
Read other coverage about kickbacks:
- Indiana Family Practitioner Pleads Guilty to Prescription Fraud, Agrees to Testify Against Lab Owner He Accepted Kickbacks From
- Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, Christ Hospital Pay $108M to Settle Federal Kickback Accusations
- District Court Dismisses Kickback Allegations Against Stryker
The settlement is the result of a whistleblower lawsuit filed by a former Ameritox senior sale representative Debra Maul, who filed the lawsuit after unsuccessfully trying to bring the company's attention to the illegal practice. Prosecutors said Ameritox marketed its drug-testing services to physicians who provided care to Medicare beneficiaries. The company allegedly made cash payments to some of those physicians in exchange for collecting urine samples from their patients and sending them to Ameritox for testing, according to separate report.
Ameritox responded in a statement saying the money paid to physicians was for administrative purposes "related to specimen processing for Ameritox's specialized testing." The company also said it settled the lawsuit so it could focus on its customers and achieving optimal patient outcomes, according to the report.
Read the St. Petersburg Times news report about Ameritox's settlement.
Read other coverage about kickbacks:
- Indiana Family Practitioner Pleads Guilty to Prescription Fraud, Agrees to Testify Against Lab Owner He Accepted Kickbacks From
- Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, Christ Hospital Pay $108M to Settle Federal Kickback Accusations
- District Court Dismisses Kickback Allegations Against Stryker