The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and James Luketich, the longtime chair of UPMC’s cardiothoracic surgery department, have agreed to pay $8.5 million to settle claims that the doctor and system jeopardized patient health to maximize profit and falsely billed federal programs, Healthcare Dive reports.
The whistleblower suit alleges that Luketich regularly performed as many as three complex surgeries at the same time, didn’t participate in critical portions of his procedures and kept patients under anesthesia for hours more than medically necessary.
The Department of Justice, which intervened in the suit, also alleges that UPMC knowingly allowed Luketich to continue these practices to increase surgical volume and maximize UPMC’s revenue. Luketich is one of UPMC’s highest-paid employees, and one of UPMC’s highest sources of revenue, according to the lawsuit. Read more.
