Eranga Cardiology, P.A., and Dr. Eranga Haththotuwa have agreed to a half a million-dollar settlement to resolve allegations of health care fraud arising under the False Claims Act.
Eranga Cardiology is a cardiology practice with locations in Milford and Dover.
According to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for Delaware, from April 2014 to March 2020, the practice submitted claims for reimbursement to Medicare and Medicaid that required both the performance of cardiology procedures and the generation of interpretive reports.
The federal government alleged that the practice submitted and received payment for these claims without generating the required interpretive reports. The civil claims settled by this False Claims Act agreement are allegations only. There was no admission of guilt.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware is committed to combating health care fraud and protecting Medicare beneficiaries using all available remedies,” said Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss. “When providers cut corners by failing to ensure that procedures are adequately documented, it cheats both the patients and the government.”
The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act. The government’s claims are based on a whistleblower suit filed by a former employee of Eranga Cardiology.
The False Claims Act provides whistleblowers with a share of the government’s recovery as part of an effort to deal with questionable or fraudulent billing practices.
The case’s conclusion was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Delaware Department of Justice.
The matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shamoor Anis and Laura Hatcher.
