Dr. Sharma to Settle False Medicare Claims for $400K; Whistleblower to Get $72K

Dr. Ravi Sharma has agreed to pay $400,000 to resolve allegations that he and his clinics violated the False Claims Act by billing Medicare for vein injections and physician office visits performed by unqualified personnel, the Justice Department announced yesterday.

Sharma, who owned and operated the clinic Premier Vein Centers, allegedly messaged his office manager instructing her to perform varicose vein injections on patients when he was not in the office. The government further alleged that, when Sharma was in the office, he performed unnecessary vein injections and ultrasound imaging procedures associated with those vein injections.

Further allegations claim that Sharma also owned and operated a weight loss clinic called Life’s New Image, which billed patient visits with unqualified personnel as physician office visits using his own Medicare provider number.

As part of the settlement, Sharma entered into a three-year Integrity Agreement with the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services. The agreement requires Sharma to attend training courses provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and provides for an independent external review of his federal health care program coding and billing procedures.  

The lawsuit was originally filed by Patti Lovell, a former office manager for Sharma, under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act.  The False Claims Act allows private parties with knowledge of fraud against the government to sue on behalf of the government and share in the recovery.  Lovell will receive $72,000 as her portion of the settlement.

The Chanler Group, in association with the Hirst Law Group, represents whistleblowers who take action under the False Claims Act to report fraud committed against the federal and state governments.  We have years of experience representing whistleblower clients who expose every kind of fraud against the government, including health care fraud, contract fraud, and tax fraud.  Read more about our expertise in False Claims Act cases and how you can take action.