The Minnesota Department of Justice (DOJ) has reached a $1.63 million settlement with Tareen Dermatology, P.A. and Dr. Mohiba Tareen in a qui tam case initiated by two whistleblowers (United States of America, et al., ex rel. Carrie Cremin and Susanne Polzin v. Tareen Dermatology P.A., Dr. Mohiba Tareen, and Dr. Basir Tareen, Case No. 19-cv-2457).
The settlement resolves allegations of false claims in connection with Mohs surgeries. The case alleges that Cellular Tissue Products / Skin Substitute were used in patients for whom the products were not justified as billed, surgeries involving services billed as though performed under the supervision of Dr. Tareen on days she was not physically present, and office visits for which beneficiary co-pays were inappropriately waived. (It is good to remind everyone that it is not legal to waive the patient’s Medicare copay without good faith attempts to collect it.)
The civil settlement was brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act (FCA) by Carrie Cremin and Susanne Polzin. Under the FCA, private individuals (e.g., office staff, colleagues, patients, etc.) can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the recovery. The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen E. Rau handled the matter. Tareen Dermatology admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to HHS at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
Dr. Fife is a world renowned wound care physician dedicated to improving patient outcomes through quality driven care. Please visit my blog at CarolineFifeMD.com and my Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/carolinefifemd/videos
The opinions, comments, and content expressed or implied in my statements are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect the position or views of Intellicure or any of the boards on which I serve.
