BOSTON, June 16 /PRNewswire/ -- United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan announced today that his office has filed a civil Complaint under the federal False Claims Act against the CARDIAC REHABILITATION OF CAPE COD, INC. and PHILIP N. CHIOTELLIS, M.D. of Hyannis, Massachusetts. The Complaint alleges that CHIOTELLIS, a cardiologist, submitted fraudulent claims to the Medicare program in excess of $1.7 million. The fraudulent claims misrepresented the nature of health care services provided and were submitted with inappropriate, higher reimbursing billing codes.
More specifically, the civil Complaint alleges that from 1995 through 2001, CHIOTELLIS was the owner and primary physician at CARDIAC REHABILITATION, and that during that time period, thousands of cardiac rehabilitation services were performed, but billed to the Medicare program as cardiovascular stress tests. Reimbursement rates for cardiovascular stress tests are significantly higher than rates for cardiac rehabilitation services. As a Medicare provider, CHIOTELLIS has a legal duty to familiarize himself with Medicare’s coding and reimbursement rules.
“This case demonstrates our continued commitment to the preservation of the Medicare Trust Fund,” stated U.S. Attorney Sullivan. “We will continue to hold accountable all unscrupulous health care providers who enrich themselves at the expense of government health care programs.”
The federal False Claims Act makes it unlawful to knowingly submit a false or fraudulent claim for payment to the United States, and allows the United States to recover up to three times the damages it sustained, plus civil penalties of $5,000 to $10,000 for each of the false claims submitted.
The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Connolly in Sullivan’s Civil Division.
U.S. Attorney
CONTACT: Samantha Martin, Press Contact of the U.S. Attorney’s Office,+1-617-748-3139