A Ridgefield doctor on Thursday entered into a civil settlement with the government to resolve allegations that he violated the False Claims Act, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Dr. Edward Berman, the physician, will pay $218,633 for fraudulent billing to Medicare for subsequent skilled nursing facility services, said Deirdre M. Daly, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, in a statement.
Specifically, the government alleges that Berman upcoded certain services, submitting claims to Medicare by using a higher-paying billing code when services with lower-paying billing codes were actually provided, Daly said.
Under the False Claims Act, the government can recover up to three times its actually damages, plus penalties of $5,500 to $11,000 for each false claim.
“Health care providers that overcharge Medicare drain critical funds from the Medicare program and increase health care costs,” Daly said in a statement.
She said the U.S. Attorney’s office is committed to vigorously pursing physicians and other health care providers who submit fraudulent claims to federal health care programs.
“Providers who submit false claims to the government face serious monetary and administrative sanctions,” Daly said.
She said that in entering into the settlement agreement, Berman did not admit liability.
Daly said people who suspect health care fraud should report it by calling the Health Care Fraud Task Force at 203-785-9270 or 1-800-HHS-TIPS.
The post Ridgefield doc pays settlement to resolve fraud allegations appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.