The federal government has intervened in two False Claims Act lawsuits against Asad Qamar, MD, a Florida cardiologist, and his physician group, according to the Department of Justice.
Here are five things to know about Dr. Qamar and the two lawsuits.
1. Dr. Qamar collected nearly $18 million from Medicare in 2012, making him one of the nation's highest billing physicians, according to a New York Times report.
2. The False Claims Act lawsuits allege Dr. Qamar and his physician group, the Institute for Cardiovascular Excellence in Ocala, Fla., billed Medicare for excessive and medically unnecessary procedures. One of the lawsuits claims a patient who had a stent put in one of her legs at ICE, died from complications from the procedure as she had a blockage in her heart that she actually needed treatment for, according to the New York Times.
3. The lawsuits also allege Dr. Qamar and his physician practice waived patient co-payments even when the patients did not have a financial hardship.
4. Both of the lawsuits were filed under the qui tam, or whistle-blower, provisions of the False Claims Act. In an unusual twist, one of the lawsuits was initiated by a consultant who had been hired in 2010 to review Medicare billings for ICE.
5. Due to Dr. Qamar being a major contributor to the Democratic party, he had contacts in Washington who he reached out to about review of his Medicare billings, according to the New York Times.
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