Ambulatory Anesthesia of Atlanta, Kickback and False Claims, Georgia 2023

State: Georgia
Category: Fraud &#038; Financial Crimes
Source: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/anesthesia-providers-and-outpatient-surgery-centers-pay-more-28-million-resolve" style="color:#cc0000;" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">DOJ Press Release ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Â Ã¢â‚¬â€

ATLANTA – In a shocking case of healthcare corruption, three anesthesia providers and several Georgia outpatient surgery centers, as well as their physician-owners and an administrator, agreed to pay more than $28 million to resolve allegations that they entered into kickback arrangements.

Ambulatory Anesthesia of Atlanta, LLC (f/k/a Ambulatory Anesthesia of Atlanta, PC) (“AAA”) and Northside Anesthesiology Consultants, LLC (“NAC”) made payments for drugs, supplies, equipment and labor, and provided free staffing to a number of Georgia outpatient surgery centers in order to induce the centers to select AAA and NAC to be their exclusive anesthesia providers.

The Government alleges that these arrangements were negotiated by Stanford Plavin, M.D. on behalf of AAA and NAC. The Government alleges that these arrangements violated the Anti-Kickback Statute, 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b), and caused the submission of false claims in violation of the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. § 3729, et seq.

“A physician’s health care decisions should be based solely on what is in the patient’s best interest, not what increases the physician’s bottom line,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. “There are significant consequences for healthcare providers who put their own financial well-being ahead of the well-being of their patients.”

The following individuals and entities have entered into settlement agreements with the Government (listed in alphabetical order):