Philadelphia Cardiologist Pays $127K to Settle Stent Claims

A former director of Pennsylvania Hospital’s cardiac catheterization lab will pay $126,617 to resolve claims that he carried out unnecessary stent procedures and billed them to Medicare.

The settlement with Vidya Banka resolves False Claims Act allegations for cardiac stent procedures he performed at the hospital between May 5, 2010, and Sept. 7, 2012. Banka, an independent board certified cardiologist, stopped working at the hospital in September 2012.

In addition to paying the civil penalty within 30 days, Banka also agreed to a five-year exclusion from Medicare, Medicaid, and all other federal health-care programs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said March ...