Neurosurgeon Medical Practice Director to Pay Over $1 Million
Neurosurgeon Medical Practice Director to Pay Over $1 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Liability Arising from Billing of P-Stim Devices. PHILADELPHIA – First Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that neurosurgeon Sagi M. Kuznits, practice director Pnina Kuznits, and Neurosurgical Care LLC (collectively, “Kuznits”), have agreed to pay $1,017,375.03 to resolve liability under the False Claims Act for the alleged improper billing of electro-acupuncture devices called Stivax and/or P-Stim and a memory-loss device called eVox.
From February 2017 through July 2018, Kuznits billed Medicare, TRICARE, and the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program for the implantation of neuro-stimulators – a surgical procedure which usually requires an operating room and which is reimbursed by federal healthcare programs – when in fact the only procedures performed had been the non-surgical application of P-Stim and Stivax by a physician assistant.
In addition, Kuznits billed Medicare for a physician assistant’s application of an “eVox” device.
“We continue to work closely with our partners at CMS’s Center for Program Integrity, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, other federal healthcare programs, state partners, and sister U.S. Attorney’s Offices around the country to hold accountable any other providers who inappropriately billed this device and any product distributors or marketers who may have devised or carried out such a billing scheme,” stated First Assistant U.S. Attorney Williams.
“We thank our partners at the Department of Justice and Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General for working hard with us to identify, investigate, and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in our federal healthcare programs.”
“Accurately billing for services provided to Medicare beneficiaries is required of all health care providers,” said Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General.
