Summary of article from U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas:
Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, Baylor College of Medicine, and Surgical Associates of Texas have agreed to a $15 million settlement to resolve allegations of improper concurrent billing for heart surgeries, violating Medicare regulations and informed consent rules. The investigation, initiated by a whistleblower complaint in 2019, revealed that surgeons Dr. Joseph Coselli, Dr. Joseph Lamelas, and Dr. David Ott allegedly ran multiple operating rooms simultaneously, improperly delegating critical tasks to unqualified residents and falsifying records. This practice, which occurred from June 2013 to December 2020, compromised patient safety and violated Medicare’s requirements for surgeon presence. The settlement, the largest of its kind, underscores the importance of adherence to medical regulations and accountability in healthcare. The whistleblower will receive over $3 million from the settlement.