The United States has intervened in a lawsuit against Orthopaedic and Neuro Imaging LLC (ONI), and the company’s owner, Richard Pfarr. The suit alleges the practice submitted false claims for Medicare reimbursement.
The announcement was made today by Acting Delaware United States Attorney David C. Weiss.
The claims asserted against ONI and Pfarr are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability. Pfarr is not listed as a physician at the practice.
ONI operates diagnostic testing facilities (IDTFs) in Lewes, Seaford and Millsboro in Delaware and in Salisbury in Maryland.
The lawsuit alleges that ONI and Pfarr knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare by administering contrast dye during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans on patients without proper supervision by a physician.
Contrast dye is a chemical that is injected intravenously into the body in order to make certain tissues more clearly visible on an MRI.
“The intervention of the United States in this matter illustrates our office’s commitment to combat healthcare fraud and protect Medicare beneficiaries,” said Weiss. “Fraudulent billing practices, like those alleged in this lawsuit, not only harm taxpayers who fund government health care programs, they also create needless patient risk.”
[pdf-embedder url=”http://delawarebusinessnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/ONI-complaint.pdf” title=”ONI complaint”]
The original lawsuit was filed by Robin White, a former employee of ONI.
The lawsuit was filed under the provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private parties to sue on behalf of the United States for false claims for government funds, and to receive a share of any recovery. The False Claims Act permits the government to intervene in such a lawsuit.
The matter was investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
