Guilty Plea: Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology of Long Island, NY to Pay $10 Million on Medicaid and Medicare Fraud Allegations

 About Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology

New York's Long Island-based Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology recently entered a plea of guilty to two charges of Medicare and Medicaid fraud. With 20 service locations and 800,000 annual patient visits, the clinic has agreed to pay $10.5 million to settle civil and criminal claims of false billing. 

Whistleblowers Linda Gibb and Donna Geraci, both billing specialists, collaborated with law enforcement to achieve the result. 

Long Island's Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology recently entered a guilty plea to two charges of Medicare and Medicaid fraud. This business has 20 locations and treats 800,000 patients annually; they have agreed to pay $10.5 million to settle fraud charges, both civil and criminal. 

As a result of their cooperation with law enforcement, whistleblowers Linda Gibb and Donna Geraci, both billing specialists, are credited with the successful outcome.

Greed Drove Zwanger-Pesiri to Expose Patients to Danger: Medicaid – Medicare Billing Scam

For more information click here: Zwanger Pesiri Patient Portal Login

Zwanger-owners Pesiri's were driven exclusively by greed; they overcharged Medicare and Medicaid by forcing patients to undergo needless and perhaps dangerous operations.

 According to the United States Attorney's Office, Zwanger-Pesiri routinely scheduled two tests for each patient and billed the government programmes for both of them, even though doctors typically only authorise one test per patient.

Zwanger-Pesiri has been compelled to repay over $10 million and has signed a corporate integrity agreement. 

For the next two years, the Department of Health and Human Services will keep an eye on the company's Medicare and Medicaid billings as part of its probationary status.

Zwanger-Pesiri stated in a statement released after the settlement was revealed, "We are glad to put these investigations behind us, which is in the best interests of our company and our patients." 

We'd like our patients to know that any concerns raised were never related to the care they received or our ability to deliver the services for which they were billed. No mention of the company's admission of guilt could be found in the official statement.

Donna Geraci and Linda Gibb Used False Claims Act Whistleblower Law

If not for the acts of two anonymous whistleblowers, Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology's nefarious transactions might still be hidden from public view. 

Donna Geraci and Linda Gibb, two formerly prominent figures in the billing industry, are also around. When they discovered the truth, they were willing to put their careers at danger to do the right thing.

Whistleblower Linda Gibb said to the press, "I was going up against a Long Island Goliath, and I would do it again." I have never hidden my face out of embarrassment or pride. Taking this course of action is the ethical choice. 

By using the protections provided by the False Claims Act, former employees Gibb and Geraci have successfully sued their former company and will get substantial compensation for their role in a fraud case.

As an example of Zwanger-alleged Pesiri's wrongdoing, Gibb claims that the company's CEO, Dr. Steven Mendelsohn, fabricated test results that showed positive findings despite the fact that they had been conducted by incompetent staff. 

In the past, workers would take longer than necessary on examinations in an effort to rack up more billable hours. 

According to Gibb, Dr. Mendelsohn took X-rays of an elderly patient's hands and wrists over the course of four separate appointments when it would have been more efficient to do all four at once.

Whistleblower Awards Well Earned in Zwanger-Pesiri Qui Tam Lawsuit

New York has a serious problem with Medicaid fraud. Medicaid and Medicare fraud might be easier for large companies with tens of thousands of patients. This type of fraud has been connected to fatal outcomes. 

Funds for programmes like Medicaid and Medicare are set aside so that those who need it most can receive top-notch care. Businesses in New York State who submit Medicaid claims for profit do a disservice to the state's Medicaid programme.

According to US Attorney Robert L. Capers, "Zwanger-Pesiri fraudulently pursued corporate profits at the cost of federal and state healthcare providers and taxpayers." 

We will not let people get away with putting profits above patients, as seen by this global guilty plea and payment of nearly $10.5 million. 

Neither Dr. Mendelsohn nor his wife, who is also a doctor at Zwanger-Pesiri, were charged in connection with the claims, despite their seriousness.