The University of Iowa (UI) has agreed to pay $16,444 to resolve allegations of incorrectly submitting Medicare claims for X-ray interpretations.

Brought forward by a whistleblower under the False Claims Act, which allows private parties to sue on behalf of the U.S. government, the civil claims filed said that resident physicians at the university’s academic center in Iowa City interpreted X-rays that were reviewed by attending physicians in a way that did not meet the government payment requirements for 42 C.F.R. § 415.180.

The interpretations were conducted between July 2018 and May 2020, with UI agreeing, as part of the settlement, to implement mandatory training for its doctors on physician fee payment Medicare requirements for diagnostic radiology interpretations in teaching settings.
UI admitted to no liability as part of the settlement. "University of Iowa Health Care is pleased that it was found of no wrongdoing and that this settlement resolves the issue," it wrote in a statement to the Des Moines Register. "We will continue to focus on the research, education, and clinical care for Iowa and Iowans that is important to all the settling parties."

The unnamed whistleblower will share in the financial recovery, as is guaranteed under the False Claims Act.

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