The U.S. Justice Department charges a Texas doctor in an alleged $89 million health care fraud scheme involving cardiovascular screening tests, according to multiple reports. Prosecutors say the doctor billed insurers for medically unnecessary cardiovascular screening tests for college student-athletes. The government also alleges that the doctor and related conduct involved rubber-stamping the screening results as normal without appropriate review, while still submitting claims to payers.
Several outlets describe the case as part of a broader Justice Department effort to publicize health-care enforcement actions. Courthouse News and STAT News report that the prosecution is among multiple matters the Justice Department plans to highlight at a news conference. MedPage Today and The Independent similarly frame the charge as occurring amid heightened scrutiny and enforcement of health-care fraud, although the specific details of the doctor’s alleged methods and the scope of the scheme come from the government’s allegations.
The reports consistently characterize the case as pending and based on the charges filed by prosecutors, rather than on a court finding of wrongdoing.
