One of the largest cancer care providers in the country agreed to pay nearly $20 million to resolve claims that it incentivized physicians to order unnecessary urine screening tests used to detect bladder cancer, according to the Department of Justice.
The company, 21st Century Oncology LLC, which operates 148 treatment centers in 17 states that specialize in radiation oncology and urology, agreed to settle with federal prosecutors over claims that the company submitted claims for medically unnecessary florescence in situ hybridization ("FISH") tests. Prosecutors claimed that the tests were ordered by four urologists in Fort Myers, Florida, and that 21st Century encouraged them to order tests by offering bonuses for laboratory referrals. Announcement