Govt Intervenes in FCA Lawsuits Against FL Cardiologist

The federal government has intervened in two lawsuits against Florida cardiologist Dr. Asad Qamar and his physician group, the Institute for Cardiovascular Excellence PLLC (ICE), alleging that Qamar and ICE knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary medical procedures, the U.S. Department of Justice announced today.  Qamar and ICE also allegedly paid kickbacks to patient by waiving Medicare copays regardless of financial hardship.

The lawsuits allege that Qamar and ICE performed excessive and medically unnecessary peripheral artery interventional services and affiliated procedures on Medicare patients.  One of the lawsuits further alleges that Qamar induced patients to undergo those unnecessary procedures by routinely waiving the 20 percent Medicare copayment, regardless of the patients’ financial need.

The lawsuits were filed under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private parties to sue on behalf of the government when they discover evidence that defendants have submitted false claims for government funds and to receive a share of any recovery.  The False Claims Act also permits the government to intervene in such lawsuits, as it elected to do in these cases. 

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.