Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Letitia James, New York State Attorney General, and Naomi Gruchacz, Special Agent-in-Charge, US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), announced today a settlement agreement with a New York-based ophthalmologist, his ophthalmology practice and related entities which allegedly provided ophthalmological healthcare services to Brooklyn and Queens residents, many of whom were elderly or non-native English speakers. The settlement agreement requires the defendants to pay more than $2.4 million to resolve claims that they billed or caused to be billed false claims for payment to Medicare and Medicaid for certain procedures, tests, and other ophthalmological services that were either unnecessary or could not have been performed because the ophthalmologist was not in his office. Under the terms of the agreement, these providers, including Sheldon Rabin, Sheldon Rabin, MD, Sheldon Rabin, MD, PC d/b/a New York Eye Care, will pay $2,426,144.93 to the United States to resolve claims under the False Claims Act. The defendants have also separately agreed to pay $73,855.07 to New York State to resolve claims under New York State’s False Claims Act, for a total payment of $2.5 million.
