An Arizona physician group will pay $4.75 million to resolve allegations that doctors violated the False Claims Act by performing medically unnecessary vein ablations, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.
Federal agents allege that three cardiologists at Tri-City Cardiology, in the Phoenix metro area, knowingly performed ablations on perforator veins that did not qualify for treatment under accepted standards of medical practice. It is reported that from Jan. 1, 2017, to April 27, 2022, they manipulated records of outward blood flow, the diameter of veins, patient symptoms, and conservative therapy measures to give the appearance that the ablations were justified.
The perforator veins form short connections between deep and superficial veins. Radiofrequency ablation can be used to close veins affected by valve damage and retrograde blood flow.
"Paying for unnecessary medical procedures reduces federal programs' capacity to pay for truly necessary procedures," said Timothy Courchaine, United States Attorney for the District of Arizona. "When medical providers do not respect the difference between the two and bill in the interest of their own bottom line instead of their patients, the United States Attorney's Office has pursued and will continue to pursue appropriate recoveries to protect taxpayer funds."
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