Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based nonprofit Adventist Health System Sunbelt Healthcare has agreed to pay the federal government $5.4 million to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act by providing radiation therapy to patients without proper supervision, according to the Department of Justice.
Oncology services provided to Medicare and TRICARE beneficiaries must be directly supervised by a radiation oncologist or similarly qualified personnel, and the government alleged the system failed to meet that requirement at some of its locations in Florida. The misconduct allegedly occurred from 2010 to 2013.
The settlement partially resolves allegations made by Michael Montejo, MD, a radiation oncologist and former employee of Orlando-based Florida Oncology Network, under the qui tam, or whistle-blower, provisions of the False Claims Act.
Although Adventist has agreed to this settlement, there has been no admission of wrongdoing.
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