Diagnostics Laboratory Must Pay $26.6 Million for Physician Kickbacks

Boston Heart Diagnostics of Framingham, Mass., agreed to pay $26.67 million to settle allegations that it paid physicians for  patient referrals and improperly billed federal healthcare programs for laboratory testing.

The company allegedly provided physician practices with in-office dieticians in exchange for physician referrals for laboratory testing.

Boston Heart also allegedly conspired to pay doctors kickbacks disguised as investment returns and conspired with certain Texas hospitals and others to submit claims for outpatient laboratory testing for patients who were not hospital outpatients.