A former University of Pittsburgh Medical Center physician’s lawsuit was recently settled for over $8 million. The suit alleged that UPMC’s Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery regularly performed three surgeries where he was not present for “key and critical” portions of the procedures. It was also documented that the surgeon kept patients under anesthesia for longer periods than necessary so he could switch from one patient room to another.
The practices were found to violate federal law that prohibits physicians in teaching hospitals from billing Medicare and Medicaid for simultaneous surgeries. In turn, hundreds of “false claims” were filed over a six-year period.
