Vascular and Interventional Specialists, LLC (VIS); Vascular and Spine Institute, Inc. (VSI); Dr. Oscar Sosa; and Dr. Osmany DeAngelo have agreed to pay $810,301 to resolve allegations of violating the False Claims Act. The allegations involved submitting claims for medically unnecessary percutaneous transluminal angioplasties (PTA), a procedure used to increase blood flow through narrowed vessels.
The United States alleged that from 2015 to 2024, VIS, VSI, Sosa, and DeAngelo performed numerous PTAs without necessary diagnostic inquiry or clinical diagnosis to justify their medical necessity. Claims were submitted to federal healthcare programs such as Medicare for these procedures deemed unreasonable or unnecessary.
VIS operates as an endovascular surgery center in Miami, specializing in vascular disease diagnosis and treatment along with dialysis access management. VSI was responsible for billing federal healthcare programs for services rendered by VIS and its practitioners. DeAngelo and Sosa are individual practitioners who conducted medical services including PTAs at VIS.
These allegations emerged from a lawsuit filed by whistleblower Dr. Emilio Lopez under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, allowing private citizens to sue on behalf of the government over false claims and share in any recovery. Dr. Lopez is set to receive approximately $186,369 from the settlement.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and acting Special Agent in Charge Jesus Barranco of HHS-OIG’s Miami Regional Office announced this settlement after an investigation by HHS-OIG.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Feeley managed the litigation process.
Related court documents can be accessed via the District Court for the Southern District of Florida’s website or through PACER under case number 20-cv-22046.
