Reports that government investigators are looking into the billing practices of a prominent surgeon and allegations that he may have double-booked procedures at a Manhattan teaching hospital in violation of Medicare rules highlight the scrutiny that institutions are facing over their surgery scheduling and billing practices.
The Boston Globe’s investigative Spotlight Team reported that it learned of an open federal investigation into whether Medicare rules were violated when, in a highly unusual move, a federal prosecutor in New York e-mailed reporters late last month informing them of an investigation into David Samadi, chief of the urology department at New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital and asking for more information. The Globe ran a story about Samadi’s concurrent surgical practices in March as a follow-up to its in-depth Fall 2015 piece that sparked a national debate about the issue. The news organization said New York state also is investigating the matter.
