A law firm representing health care fraud whistleblowers is suing UnitedHealth Group over its use of a peripheral artery disease test, called QuantaFlo, to increase payments it received from the government Medicare program, after the Department of Justice declined to pursue a case against the nation’s largest health care company.
The DOJ’s decision was revealed in federal court documents unsealed on Friday as the government disclosed a $29.75 million settlement of fraud claims with Semler Scientific, the maker of the QuantaFlo test. The Justice Department also reached a $7.2 million agreement with CR Bard, the former distributor of the test now owned by BD, according to the documents unsealed in the Middle District Court of Florida.
“Medical device companies that misrepresent the capabilities of their products and encourage providers to bill Medicare for services that do not meet coverage requirements drain critical taxpayer-funded resources,” said Isaac Bledsoe, acting special agent in charge of the Health and Human Services Department Office of Inspector General, in a statement.
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