In January 2025, the government announced that lab marketers, physicians and their associated entities have agreed to pay $1,137,914 to resolve False Claims Act allegations that they participated in laboratory kickback schemes in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute.

The parties involved include physicians Dr. Abbesalom Ghermay (from Plano, Texas); Dr. Daniel Theesfeld (from Longview, Texas) and his medical practice H8 Pain Management Center of Texas PLLC; Dr. James Cook (from Richmond, Virginia) and his medical practice Family Medical Centers, P.C.; and owner of Advantage Medical Group, Troy Belton (from Columbia, South Carolina). The laboratory marketers are Shahram Naghshbandi, (from Fort Worth, Texas) and John Bello (from Chesterfield, Virginia) with his marketing company, RiteRx4U LLC.

The settlements address claims that the laboratory marketers and their companies provided or conspired to provide kickbacks to doctors, while doctors and their companies accepted these kickbacks in exchange for laboratory referrals. These alleged kickbacks led to the submission of false or fraudulent laboratory testing claims to Medicare, violating the False Claims Act.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division said: “Monetary inducements to healthcare providers undermine the integrity of taxpayer-funded healthcare programs and can improperly influence healthcare providers’ decision-making. We will continue to hold accountable individuals, as well as companies, who disregard their legal obligations and participate in illegal kickback schemes.”

The Anti-Kickback Statute forbids paying, offering, receiving, or soliciting any form of payments or compensation to influence referrals for items and services covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and other federally funded healthcare programs. Its purpose is to safeguard the integrity of medical decision-making, ensuring that healthcare providers make decisions based on the best interests of their patients, free from improper financial influence.

The government has recovered more than $53 million in connection with management service organization (MSO) kickbacks to healthcare providers, including False Claims Act settlements with 48 physicians. This effort highlights the government’s strong focus on addressing healthcare fraud, including through the False Claims Act.

Whistleblowers play critical roles in reporting healthcare fraud and other misconduct. If you think you might have a case, or would like to learn what it means to be a whistleblower, please contact us. We will connect you with an experienced member of our whistleblower team.

Read Healthcare Providers and Marketers Will Pay $1.1M to Settle Laboratory Kickback Allegations at constantinecannon.com