Radiologists will pay $810,000 to settle allegations they performed hundreds of unnecessary procedures
Two Florida radiologists and their workplace have agreed to pay $810,301 to settle allegations they violated the False Claims Act, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced recently.
Oscar Sosa, MD, and Osmany DeAngelo, DO, purportedly performed “hundreds” of percutaneous transluminal angioplasties. Also referred to as a “PTA,” the procedure increases blood flow through a diseased or abnormally narrow vessel, authorities noted.
Sosa and DeAngelo allegedly administered these interventional procedures to patients between 2015 and 2024, often without necessary supporting clinical assessments or diagnoses. The two Miami-area rads subsequently submitted claims to Medicare and other federal healthcare programs for the medically unnecessary interventional services.
“This agreement is neither an admission of liability by the defendants nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well-founded,” according to the settlement, shared on June 20. “To avoid the delay, uncertainty, inconvenience, and expense of protracted litigation of the above claims, and in consideration of the mutual promises and obligations of this settlement agreement, the parties agree and covenant as follows,” the document states.
In addition, Sosa and DeAngelo have agreed not to resubmit any previously denied claims, nor appeal related payment rejections stemming from the alleged misconduct. They also will cooperate with the United States’ investigation of other individuals and entities not named or released in the settlement. Plus, they’ve agreed not to impair the future cooperation of directors, officers and employees, along with releasing unredacted documents, reports and records related to the alleged misconduct.
The settlement also cites Vascular and Interventional Specialists, an endovascular surgery center in Miami, which provides IR procedures and specializes in vascular disease and dialysis access. A fourth defendant, the Vascular and Spine Institute Inc., submitted bills to federal healthcare programs for services performed by VIS and its individual practitioners including the two radiologists.
Whistleblower Emilio Lopez, MD, brought forth the allegations under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. According to the FCA, a private citizen can file suit on behalf of the government, with authorities joining the legal matter if they find it worthy. Lopez stands to collect about $186,369 from the recovery.
In a statement emailed to Radiology Business Thursday, Dr. Sosa said he believes the whistleblower’s allegations “lack merit” and are “based on a fundamental disagreement regarding the clinical principles.”
“As the settlement agreement states, we do not admit any liability for improper billing. We firmly believe that the practice and everyone involved, including the physicians, did absolutely nothing improper and vehemently deny the charges of Medicare fraud,” Sosa, who is medical director of Vascular and Interventional Specialists, said by email. “The decision to settle the case was made based on a desire to avoid the enormous financial cost of continued litigation as well as the ongoing distraction and disruption to our business and patient care. The case had already dragged on for five years and the cost of continued litigation and possible court fees far outweighed the settlement amount.”
“We are pleased to finally have the matter resolved and behind us so that we can focus on our most important goal, which is to continue to provide outstanding patient care to our patients and our community.”
The settlement ends a federal civil case accusing the radiology center and its docs of Medicare fraud, the Miami Herald reported. Dr. Sosa has been licensed in the state since 2000 and never faced professional discipline. However, state records indicate his malpractice insurance paid $225,000 after a procedure involving two angioplasties left a patient with “right foot drop,” the newspaper said. DeAngelo, meanwhile, has been licensed in the state since May 2004. His malpractice insurance paid $250,000 in August 2021 after he allegedly failed to fully describe findings from an angiogram, according to the Herald.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.