Becker's ASC Review

8 ASC MANAGEMENT Anesthesiologist sues New Jersey for $100M over 'fabricated' kickback charges By Angie Stewart A nesthesiologist Terry Ramnanan, MD, is suing New Jersey for $100 million, claiming the nearly two years he spent defending himself against "fabricated charges" of illegal kickbacks caused irrepa- rable damage to his reputation and 40-year career, according to New Jersey 101.5. en-Attorney General Christopher Porrino first announced charges against Dr. Ram- nanan in August 2017. Dr. Ramnanan was accused of paying a chiropractor for patient referrals to his facility in Paramus, N.J., from 2012-16. e chiropractor pleaded guilty a year earlier to conspiracy and other charges. Mr. Porrino's successor, Gurbir Grewal, an- nounced new charges against Dr. Ramnanan in June 2018. At that time, Dr. Ramnanan was accused of bribing another healthcare professional for patient referrals and com- mitting insurance fraud. In May 2019, New Jersey Superior Court Judge Robert Vinci dismissed all 10 counts against Dr. Ramnanan, saying the state "lost sight of its obligation to do justice and instead sought to indict the defendant on the most serious charges it could present." On Sept. 16, Dr. Ramnanan filed a lawsuit saying there was "no evidence whatsoever" that he made illegal payments to the chiro- practor, Ronald Hayek, with whom he had a "perfectly legal" monthly rental agreement. Dr. Ramnanan also alleged Mr. Grewal made "boastful postings" about the case on social media that "proved to be a devastating blow" to his practice. Dr. Ramnanan's lawsuit names Mr. Grewal, four employees of the New Jersey Attorney General's Office and two chiropractors as defendants. ey are accused of "highly unethical conduct," including fabricating evidence and leading witnesses to give false testimony. Mr. Porrino is not a defendant in the lawsuit. n How the pandemic is affecting physician income By Laura Dyrda S ixty-two percent of physicians in the U.S. report their income has decreased since the pandemic began, according to the Medscape "US and International Physicians' COVID-19 Experience Report." About 35 percent of U.S. physicians said their income has remained the same. Across the world, 63 percent of phy- sicians in Brazil, 56 percent of physicians in Mexico and 41 percent of physicians in France also reported declin- ing income during the pandemic. Here is the severity of income drop among U.S. physi- cians that reported declines: 1. 1 percent to 10 percent drop: 15 percent of physicians 2. 11 percent to 25 percent drop: 33 percent 3. 26 percent to 50 percent drop: 28 percent 4. 51 percent to 75 percent drop: 14 percent 5. 76 percent to 100 percent drop: 9 percent The survey also reported that 39 percent of physicians never closed their practice, and 50 percent who did have reopened. Six percent plan to reopen soon and 50 per- cent that closed have not reopened. n Surgery Partners sells select anesthesia services businesses: 4 details By Laura Dyrda S urgery Partners sold some of its anesthesia services business to Anesthesia Consulting & Management, known as NorthStar Anesthesia. Four details: 1. Surgery Partners' anesthesia business provides and manages the third-party providers of anesthesia services at 25 locations across its facilities in Georgia, Florida, Ken- tucky, North Carolina and Texas. With the sale, Surgery Partners will focus on its core short-stay surgical business. 2. NorthStar provides outsourced and managed anes- thesia services to providers at more than 120 facilities in 19 states and is focused on expanding its business organically and through acquisitions. This acquisition is consistent with its strategy to expand in markets where the company already operates. 3. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. 4. Katten Muchin Rosenman was legal counsel to North- Star, and Greenhill & Co. was the exclusive financial adviser to Surgery Partners. McDermott Will & Emery was legal counsel to Surgery Partners. n

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