Tennessee physicians settle allegations of overbilling

Primary care physicians in Memphis, Tenn., agreed to resolve allegations that they charged Medicare for services provided by nurse practitioners at the higher physician rate, according to the Justice Department. 

Advertisement

The settlement, announced Oct. 30, involves Shoaib Qureshi, MD, and Imran Mirza, MD. Dr. Qureshi owns and operates Memphis Primary Care Specialists and Lunceford Family Health Center. Dr. Mirza owns and operates Getwell Family Medicine. All of the practices are in Memphis.

The Justice Department alleged that from 2015-18, Drs. Qureshi and Mirza and their clinics overbilled Medicare for services provided by nurse practitioners who weren’t supervised by physicians. While Medicare will pay the higher physician rate for some services provided by a nurse practitioner if they are directly supervised by a physician, this was not the case at the Memphis practices, where physicians were sometimes out of state or abroad when the services occurred, according to the Justice Department. 

The physicians agreed to pay $341,690 to resolve the allegations. The allegations were first raised in a whistleblower lawsuit.

More articles on legal and regulatory issues:
New York physician on opioid task force faces felony drug charges
CEO, CFO of Kentucky medical clinics sentenced for pocketing employees’ benefit contributions
Surgeon sues Cincinnati Children’s, alleges retaliation for reporting peer’s practices

Becker’s 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit is the top tier event that the people leading the future of pharmacy convene. This 3-day event is built specifically for Chief Pharmacy Officers and senior pharmacy leaders. The sessions examine the workforce, financial and clinical priorities shaping pharmacy today. Becker’s is where candid discussions flourish and new ideas thrive. Becker's 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit

Advertisement

Next Up in Legal & Regulatory Issues

Advertisement

Comments are closed.