The U.S. Department of Justice continues to clamp down on kickback cases in healthcare. Here are two cases that involved neurosurgeons and a device company in May:
1. Devicemaker Medicrea settled allegations it paid kickbacks to physicians and failed to report physician payments to Medicare. A whistleblower accused Medicrea of violating the anti-kickback statute by entertaining physicians during the 2013 Scoliosis Research Society Congress in Lyon, France. The company paid $1 million to resolve the allegations.
2. Neurosurgeon Wilson Asfora, MD, and two medical device distributors he owns, Medical Designs and Sicage, agreed to pay $4.4 million to settle False Claims Act allegations. Dr. Asfora, Medical Designs and Sicage will not be permitted to participate in federal healthcare programs for six years.