Conn. company, feds, reach settlement on billing

NORWICH, Conn. (AP) - A cancer treatment practice in Norwich has agreed to pay more than $300,000 to resolve allegations it overbilled the federal government.

The U.S. Attorney's office said Friday that Eastern Connecticut Hematology and Oncology reached the $316,513 settlement to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act. The company didn't admit any liability.

Prosecutors say ECHO used unlicensed medical assistants administer to injections of medications and inappropriately billed federal health care programs for their work from 2001 to 2008. Authorities say because the assistants aren't authorized to administer medication in Connecticut, the government wouldn't have paid the claims.

ECHO said it doesn't believe its bills were improper. The company said it wasn't advised until 2008 that medical assistants shouldn't provide injections and said they were trained to administer the minor procedure.