TAMPA, Fla. — A Sarasota lab has agreed to pay $980,000 in a settlement after the company unlawfully paid a marketing service for referrals of Medicare beneficiaries, according to the State Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced that between January 2 and June 15 2023, Allin IP DX LLC allegedly paid remuneration to independent marketers in exchange for the referral of labs. This violated the Anti-Kickback Statute and resulted in false claims to the Medicare program in violation of the False Claims Act.
The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and other federally funded healthcare programs. It serves as a way to make sure medical providers’ judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives and are instead based on the best interests of their patients.
"This settlement is a reflection of our commitment to protect our healthcare programs and deter those who violate federal laws at the expense of our taxpayers," said U.S. Attorney Kehoe. "Laboratory testing is important to our beneficiaries, and we will hold providers accountable to safeguard our programs and ensure the provision of appropriate lab services to patients."
According to the court, Allin voluntarily self-disclosed this information to the Department of Justice and cooperated with the investigation.
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