A Mission doctor paid $504,588 to settle allegations that he billed an excessive amount of ultrasounds to Medicare, U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery said in a news release Thursday.
Dr. Jose A. Escandon, who runs Escandon Diagnostic Clinic located at 1300 S. Bryan Road, was accused of violating the False Claims Act by submitting claims to Medicare for ultrasounds that were deemed medically unnecessary or unreasonable.
The investigation began after a review of claims data showed Escandon was a statistical outlier for ultrasound claims.
As part of the settlement, Escandon and his clinic have agreed to enter a three-year integrity agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General.
Additionally, Escandon and his clinic must contract with an independent organization to perform quarterly claims reviews and maintain a compliance program, as well as routinely report the findings to DHHS-OIG.
“The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability,” the United States Attorney Office said, adding that DHHS also helped with the investigation.
