A cardiologist from Hot Springs, Ark., has agreed to pay $900,000 to settle allegations he submitted claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary placement of cardiac stents.
Jeffrey Tauth, MD, 60, treated patients at National Park Medical Center and Hot Springs Cardiology Associates, according to a Jan. 5 Justice Department news release. The department alleged that Dr. Tauth submitted false claims to Medicare between September 2013 and August 2019.
The settlement follows a November 2019 voluntary False Claims Act violation disclosure from Brentwood, Tenn.-based Lifepoint Health, which acquired National Park Medical Center and Hot Springs Cardiology Associates in 2018, according to the release. The entities in October 2020 agreed to pay nearly $14.9 million — including more than $9 million in restitution — as part of a settlement.