21st Century Oncology has three locations in the state of New York: Utica, Mt. Kisco, and closest to New York City, a location in Yonkers. Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute says it has nearly 100 treatment locations in the Sunshine State.
Together, the companies are two of the nation’s largest cancer-care chains and together they face charges that include fraudulent Medicare billing, unsafe medical practices and gender discrimination. The pair of companies is accused of having an unwritten agreement to divide treatment services rendered in Florida.
According to a federal whistleblower lawsuit, the companies shelled out “millions of dollars to each other in the form of exclusive patient referrals in order to secure their individual monopolies in Southwest Florida of medical oncology (Florida Cancer Specialists) and radiation oncology (21st Century Oncology).” The lawsuit was filed by a Florida Cancer Specialists human resources vice president and by the company’s VP of clinical financial services.
21 Century Oncology operates 179 treatment centers in 18 states, plus 36 centers in Latin American countries, USA Today report says.
The Department of Justice has decided not to take part in the case, an assistant U.S. Attorney said. He declined to say whether a criminal investigation has been launched.
In these kinds of situations, it makes sense for people who don’t know if they are under investigation — but suspect that they might be — to contact a New York attorney experienced in health care fraud investigations.
Whether an investigation (or potential investigation) is focused on you, your company or your colleagues, it’s crucial to have on your side a law firm that understands how to narrow the scope of investigators.