The Scranton Heart Institute has agreed to pay $48,709 to settle a lawsuit alleging it improperly billed Medicare for services, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

The settlement resolves allegations the institute violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims for payment to Medicare for PET scan services. According to the Cleveland Clinic, PET scans, short for positron emission tomography scans, “detect early signs of cancer, heart disease and brain conditions. It involves an injection of a safe radioactive tracer that helps detect diseased cells.”

According to the U.S. Attorney Brian D. Miller, between December 10, 2020, and May 31, 2023, the Institute “knowingly and willfully received renumeration offered or paid by a mobile PET scan company to induce SHI to refer its Medicare patients to that company for PET scans.”

In doing so, the Institute violated the Anti-Kickback Statute, according to the U.S. Attorney. Therefore, the United States contends that SHI submitted false claims to Medicare associated with imaging services using certain CPT codes that resulted from violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute.

“Kickback schemes can jeopardize medical decision making, which may significantly impact patient care and program costs,” said Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.

The case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Haken...

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