On this blog, we've followed stories that show how doctors' referral arrangements to MRI and CT scanning centers may make them rich while possibly violating the law. And we advised: "Think about that the next time you see a news story or an ad promoting the latest CT, MRI or PET scanner in your community. Follow the money. And then start to question whether all the scans are necessary."
Last week, the Wall Stree Journal (subscription required) reported on a whistleblower lawsuit that "details a widespread scheme among Chicago-area MRI operators to win referrals from doctors by allegedly signing the doctors to phony equipment lease deals that result in the physicians getting a kickback when they order scans for patients. ... The lawsuit strikes at an increasingly common arrangement between magnetic-resonance-imaging centers and doctors that is blamed for helping to fuel a staggering increase in the number of medical imaging tests done each year in the U.S."
This is a story worth following - in Illinois and across the country.
Posted by schwitz at January 25, 2007 09:00 AM | TrackBack