Plastic Surgeon, Son Agree to Settle False Claims Allegations

A California plastic surgeon, along with his son, his medical practices, and billing company, will pay $23.9 million to resolve alleged violations of the False Claims Act, the Justice Department said said Friday.

Joel Aronowitz, the plastic surgeon, allegedly falsified the service location for skin grafts, and allegedly failed to properly dispose of unused single-use skin graft materials. He allegedly then used the materials in later procedures that involved Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, which resulted in multiple instances of double billing, said the agency.

Under the settlement agreement, Aronowitz will be excluded from Medicare, Medicaid, and all other federal ...