Becker's ASC Review

40 ORTHOPEDICS Orthopedic ASC, Georgia providers to pay $3.2M for False Claims Act allegations By Angie Stewart A group of Newnan, Ga.- based orthopedic and an- esthesia providers agreed to pay the federal government $3.2 million to settle allegations they were involved in a False Claims Act kickback scheme. Here are five insights. 1. Georgia Bone & Joint, Sum- mit Orthopaedic Surgery Center, Southern Crescent Anesthesiology, Sentry Anesthesia Management and certified registered nurse anesthetist David LaGuardia are the providers involved in the settlement. 2. Mr. LaGuardia, Sentry and Southern Cresscent Anesthesiol- ogy allegedly provided a free medi- cal director to Summit Surgery Center to influence it to perform more procedures at the surgery center than in the Georgia Bone & Joint office. 3. e federal government also accused Georgia Bone & Joint and Mr. LaGuardia of submitting false claims to Medicare for non- FDA-approved prescription drugs purchased outside the U.S. 4. e civil settlement resolves a qui tam lawsuit filed by Sharon Kopko, a former practice adminis- trator for SBJ. It does not deter- mine liability. 5. "Decisions on where and how patients' medical procedures are performed should never be made based on thinly veiled bribes, as was alleged in this matter," said Derrick Jackson, special agent in charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of HHS. n Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center plans new hospital facility By Laura Dyrda C rystal Clinic Orthopedic Centers plans to construct a new specialty orthopedic facility that will offer surgical and non-surgical care, according to Crain's Cleveland Business. Here are four things to know. 1. The new hospital facility will have 60 beds and open in mid-2020. 2. The new 160,000-square-foot center will have 12 op- erating rooms as well as an urgent care orthopedic clinic, support services and imaging capabilities. 3. Construction will begin in the spring of 2018, pending city approval. 4. Crystal Clinic surgeons perform more than 15,500 or- thopedic procedures per year.n Dr. Mark Giovanini performs his 1st spine surgery with coflex in an ASC By Laura Dyrda M ark Giovanini, MD, performed his first spine surgery in an ASC with the coflex device from Paradigm Spine. Earlier this month, Dr. Giovanini performed the coflex procedure in an ASC. The coflex Interlaminar Stabiliza- tion device is indicated for use at one or two levels for lumbar stenosis from L1-L5, and can be an alternative to spinal fusion. Dr. Giovanini is a neurospine specialist with NeuroMicro- Spine in Pensacola, Fla. He focuses on minimally invasive spine surgery and has been a consultant for many major spine companies. Dr. Giovanini completed his neurosur- gical training at Gainesville-based University of Florida at Shands Hospital; he also trained under Richard Fes- sler, MD, during his residency training. n Metro Health OAM Surgery Center hosts outpatient total joints By Shayna Korol R obert DeMaagd, MD, and Thomas Matelic, MD, have performed almost a dozen outpatient joint replacement surgeries at Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Metro Health OAM Surgery Center since October 2017, the Grand Rapids Business Journal reports. Metro Health OAM Surgery Center uses a "concierge" approach to care for total joint replacement patients, who receive in- home visits and assessments weeks before undergoing surgery. Patients attend an outpatient total joint education class prior to surgery. According to Dr. DeMaagd, performing joint replacements in the outpatient setting reduces overhead costs associated with hospital stays. Recovery at home also reduces the likelihood of hospital-acquired infections. n

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