Lawsuit claims 21st Century Oncology paid millions to physicians for referrals

Records from a federal lawsuit against 21st Century Oncology first filed last February, have been unsealed.

The lawsuit claims the company which is headquartered in Fort Myers, illegally paid millions of dollars in bonuses to physicians for referrals made to company facilities.

That’s a violation of federal regulations under the Stark Law.

The lawsuit claims the practice began in 2010 and has resulted in millions of dollars of damages to patients.

The News-Press reports 21st Century Oncology has tentatively agreed to pay $26 million to settle the case.

21st Century Oncology filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection in May and faced multiple lawsuits following a 2015 data breach of 2.2 million patient records.

We asked 21st Century Oncology about the lawsuit unsealed today

They said in a statement: “The company fully cooperated with the government in resolving these historical matters and has no further comment.”