A family physician and former clinic operator agreed to pay $2.1 million to resolve claims that he falsely billed Medicare for unnecessary services, according to the Department of Justice.
According to the Justice Department, Augusto Castrillon, MD, violated the False Claims Act from June 2009 to June 2015 by submitting claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary diagnostic tests.
The U.S. Attorney's Office came to its conclusion after reviewing claims data and determining Dr. Castrillon was a significant statistical outlier when it came to ordering specialized diagnostic tests. The tests, which were highly complicated and usually only ordered by neurologists or cardiologists, were often requested for patients on a recurring basis.