Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert

In other news ...• One Maryland rehab practice paid dearly for allegations of violating the anti-kickback statute.

Advanced Centers for Ortho-paedic Surgery and Sports Medicine Inc. and Maryland Sportscare and Rehabilitation LLC have agreed to collectively pay the United States $238,912.47 to settle claims that they violated the federal Anti-Kickback statute, according to an Oct. 16, 2008 press release from the U.S. Depart-ment of Justice.

The government contends in the settlement agreements that from January 2002 to October 2004, Advanced Centers referred patients to MSR for physical therapy services and paid a referral fee of $30 per patient up to 150 patients and $36 per patient for every referral thereafter. At the same time, MSR leased space from Advanced Centers at a rate that "far exceeded" the fair market rate for similar spaces, in what the government insists is a kickback scheme.

Additionally, Advanced Centers settled "double billing" claims that were based upon submitting multiple claims to Medicare that resulted in multiple payments for the same physical therapy service.

Both corporations denied the allegations. Advanced Centers paid $158,312.47 and MSR paid $80,000 to settle the claims.

To read the full press release, visit www.usdoj.gov/usao/md.

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