American Health Imaging, Inc. (AHI) and its former founder and CEO, Scott Arant, have agreed to pay $5,250,000 to the United States and the State of Georgia. This payment resolves allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by providing inducements to physicians for referring diagnostic scans to AHI’s facilities.
“The use of inducements to obtain referrals from medical professionals jeopardizes the integrity of our healthcare programs,” stated U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. He emphasized that this settlement reflects their commitment to hold accountable those who breach Medicare and Medicaid regulations for personal gain.
Special Agent in Charge Kelly J. Blackmon from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) commented on the issue: “Paying or accepting kickbacks for referrals undermines the integrity of the Medicare program.” She reaffirmed HHS-OIG’s dedication to protecting federal healthcare programs in cooperation with law enforcement partners.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr added, “We won’t allow for any provider to take advantage of a system meant to care for our most vulnerable Georgians.” He assured that efforts would continue to prevent Medicaid fraud and abuse in Georgia.
The government claims that between 2011 and 2019, AHI used various inducements such as sporting events, fishing trips, happy hours, sponsorships of open houses at physician offices, gifts including alcohol and gas cards, and free scans to secure referrals for diagnostic scans. Many marketing events lacked educational purposes according to allegations. These included tickets to sports events like SEC football championship games, concerts, monthly dinners with referral sources, and outings to nail salons. It is also alleged that AHI engaged in above-market-value personal services agreements with referring physicians who were compensated for interpreting scans they referred.
This settlement addresses allegations made by Tanya Benjamin, a former AHI employee under qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. This allows private individuals to sue on behalf of the United States regarding false claims and share in recoveries obtained through such actions. Her lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of Georgia under case number 1:15-cv-3242-RWS.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia along with HHS-OIG and Georgia State Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Austin Hall along with Georgia State Assistant Attorneys General Sara Vann and Mary Bryan reached this civil settlement agreement.
It should be noted that these resolved claims are merely allegations without any determination of liability.
For more information contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. More details can be found at http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
