Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced a settlement agreement with Queens-based physician Arun Arora. The settlement agreement addresses allegations that Dr. Arora violated the federal False Claims Act by billing Medicare for critical care services to residents of nursing homes when, in fact, he provided only routine care. Dr. Arora provided care to residents of nursing homes. That care was, for the most part, routine care, such as regular medical checkups. The Government contends that, rather than billing for his services as routine care, Dr. Arora billed Medicare for critical care services. Critical care services involve imminent life-threatening deterioration of the patient’s condition. Medicare reimburses healthcare providers at a higher rate for critical care services than for routine care.
By billing for critical care services when he provided only routine care, as the Government contends, Dr. Arora received extra payment for care that he did not provide. Under the terms of the agreement with the United States, Dr. Arora will pay $1.3 million for conduct that took place in the years 2019 to 2023. In addition to the payment to resolve the government’s fraud claims, Dr. Arora has entered into a separate Integrity Agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. The Integrity Agreement imposes a number of obligations on Dr. Arora, all of which are meant to ensure that he complies with Medicare rules and regulations going forward.
