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Vein Doc Accused of Illegal Billing Pays $2M; Practice Settles Discrimination Claim

— A weekly roundup of healthcare's encounters with the courts

MedpageToday
Legal Break over a blindfolded Lady Justice statue holding scales.

New York physician David DiMarco, MD, and his clinics will pay more than $2 million to resolve charges that he illegally billed Medicaid for vein treatments. DiMarco allegedly submitted more than 1,000 claims for procedures to the government insurer without sufficient documentation to show they were actually performed or that they were medically necessary, .

Las Vegas-based medical practice Walter J. Willoughby Jr., MD, Ltd., has settled with the U.S. government for allegedly violating the Immigration and Nationality Act by terminating a long-standing employee based on her Mexican-American heritage. Co-workers allegedly subjected the employee to months of derogatory comments based on her nationality before fabricating a story to get her ousted from the practice -- one that "played into national origin stereotypes." In March 2020, the practice fired the woman without investigating the story, prosecutors alleged. The practice will pay the woman $42,500 and will pay an additional civil penalty, .

A Kansas City, Missouri law firm filed against four travel nurse agencies, alleging the companies pulled a bait-and-switch by offering nurses high pay with pandemic demand, then slashing their salaries once that demand began to drop. (NBC News)

Gastroenterologist Aston Williams, MD, of Buffalo, New York, over having his hospital privileges revoked for refusing to comply with a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. Instead, he will be limited to an administrative remedy. (Bloomberg Law)

Raleigh, North Carolina-based ob/gyn Haritha Nadendla, MD, and her clinic Triangle Women's Center to settle allegations that the practice submitted false claims to Medicaid. (The Coastland Times)

Police in Kansas of a terminally ill 69-year-old man to confiscate his cannabis vape and THC paste, which he reportedly uses to alleviate the symptoms of the cancer that is killing him. Police said the vape could pose a fire hazard. (KSNT)

Massachusetts lawmaker Joanne Comerford (D) plans to introduce a bill that will for terminally ill patients. Earlier this month, the state's Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the Massachusetts constitution does not protect doctors who assist patients in ending their lives. (Connecticut Public)

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    Kristina Fiore leads MedPage’s enterprise & investigative reporting team. She’s been a medical journalist for more than a decade and her work has been recognized by Barlett & Steele, AHCJ, SABEW, and others. Send story tips to k.fiore@medpagetoday.com.