Dr. James Aronovitz of Warren, a certified in ear, nose, and throat surgery and plastic surgery, and Michigan Ear Care, have agreed to pay more than $2 million to resolve civil allegations that they falsely billed Medicare and Medicaid for ear services at nursing facilities and home health settings.
Under the civil allegations, federal authorities charged that Aronovitz and Michigan Ear Care billed Medicare and Medicaid for Arnovitz's services when in fact they were actually provided by physician assistants without Aronovitz's supervision.
The State of Michigan will receive $65,993.20 of the settlement amount based on its share of damages related to its Medicaid program.
“Physicians are expected to submit accurate billing when charging the Medicare and Medicaid programs,” said U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison in a statement. “This investigation and settlement demonstrate that our office continues to deploy the resources necessary to combat Medicare and Medicaid fraud in this district.”
Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).