No Arrests In The Abe Steinberg Fraud

A Florida radiologist, Dr. F. Abe Steinberg, who operates three MR imaging facilities in the Boca Raton has been named in a  lawsuit alleging Medicare fraud though improper lease arrangements, kickbacks, and upcoding. The complaint alleges three types of fraud: upcoding, billing for medically unnecessary services, and billing for services referred or ordered by others with whom there were financial relationships not protected under the federal Stark II anti-kickback law.

The complaint alleges that Steinberg used incentive programs to compensate physicians for referring patients. One involved creating medical directorships for referring physicians, which the complaint said were “papered to look legitimate but that in fact constituted unlawful kickback arrangements that compensated physicians for referrals to Steinberg and his entities for radiology services.”

The owner of a chain of medical imaging centers in Boca Raton has agreed to pay $7 million to settle a federal healthcare fraud lawsuit, federal officials said Monday.