TAMPA, Fla. (Legal Newsline) – A Spring Hill, Florida health care facility is alleged to have submitted false and fraudulent patient claims to the federal government and the state of Florida.
United States of America and State of Florida, ex rel. J. Doe filed a complaint on Jan. 30 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division against West Hernando Diagnostic & M.R.J. Center Inc.; Dr. Paul M. Velt, et al., alleging violation of the Florida False Claims Act and other counts.
According to the complaint, J. Doe is a health care professional that was employed by West Hernando from August 2011 to June 2015. The suit states while working at West Hernando, Doe discovered that technologists at the defendants' facilities performed upwards of 24,000 mammograms per year when the Computer-Aided Detection systems were non-functioning. The complaint states that despite the CAD not being operational, defendants allegedly charged for a CAD screening to Medicare, Medicaid and other government insurers.
The plaintiffs allege the defendants presented false or fraudulent claims for payment or approval in connection with the submission of requests for reimbursement under the Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health care programs.
The plaintiffs request a trial by jury and seek judgment for treble damages, award of costs, attorney's fees, and such further relief as is proper. They are represented by Robert W. Sadowski of Sadowski Katz LLP in New York and the Josephs Law Firm in Carol Gables, Florida.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division case number 8:16-cv-01123-EAK-JSS