Physician Admits Upcoding of Services
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Ahmad M. Mehdi and his medical practice, Ahmad M. Mehdi, M.D., P.C. (“Mehdi”), agreed to pay a total of $900,000 to resolve civil claims for up-coding billings for some medical services, billing for smoking cessation counseling services that were not adequately documented, and allegedly improper prescribing of opioids, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman.
Mehdi operates a general medical practice with offices in Groton and Tully, New York. According to the settlement agreement, between January 1, 2012, and September 17, 2018, Mehdi caused false claims to be submitted to federal healthcare programs by billing for some services at a higher rate of reimbursement than it would be entitled to for the service actually provided, a scheme commonly referred to as “upcoding.” Mehdi also submitted billing to federal healthcare programs for some smoking cessation counseling services that were not sufficiently documented. This settlement also resolves claims that Mehdi violated the Controlled Substances Act between April 1, 2018, and December 31, 2020, by prescribing opioids outside the usual course of professional practice to three patients. Mehdi has agreed to pay $331,250 to the United States to resolve all of these claims. Mehdi will also pay $568,750 to the State of New York pursuant to the terms of a separate agreement.
“Providers who increase their own profits by over-billing for medical care increase medical costs for all of us and drain critical funds from Medicare and other government health programs,” said U.S. Attorney Freedman. “We will continue to hold accountable medical professionals who undermine our healthcare system by over-billing for care.”
No comment yet, add your voice below!