A radiology practice in Texas has agreed to pay an $800,000 fine to settle charges that it billed twice for the reading and interpretation of genetic ultrasound exams.
Radiology Associates of Corpus Christi agreed to the payment to settle charges that it double billed for the scans while interpreting several thousand studies acquired at Children's Physician Services of South Texas (CPSST) from 2002 to 2007. CPSST agreed to pay $1.5 million in connection with the case.
According to authorities, Radiology Associates was supposed to bill for the professional component of the scans, while CPSST billed for the technical component. However, CPSST billed for both components of the studies, without informing Radiology Associates.
Radiology Associates later discovered the double billing and informed CPSST of the errors, but CPSST denied that double billing had occurred in all but a few exams. CPSST instructed Radiology Associates to continue to bill for the professional component, which it did.
Federal and state authorities believe that Radiology Associates "accepted CPSST's misrepresentations without question and continued to bill and receive payment for the professional component," according to a press release issued by the Texas attorney general's office.
The charges were originally leveled in a qui tam (whistleblower) lawsuit filed in 2008 by a former revenue manager and coding compliance officer with Radiology Associates.
