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  • 3 months ago
American Health Imaging, Inc. (“AHI”) and founder / CEO, Scott Arant, will pay the United States and the State of Georgia $5,250,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by: (1) providing physicians with meals, tickets to sporting events, and other gifts to induce those physicians to refer diagnostic scans to AHI’s independent diagnostic testing facilities; and (2) entering into above fair market value personal services agreements with referring physicians to induce those physicians to refer scans to AHI.

In the Federal case, the government alleges that, between 2011 and 2019, AHI relied on a variety of inducements – sporting events, fishing trips, happy hours, sponsorships of “open houses” at physician offices, and gifts of alcohol, gas cards, and free scans – to generate referrals for diagnostic scans. Many of AHI’s marketing events involved no discernible educational purpose. Examples include tickets to the SEC football championship game, tickets to concerts, monthly dinners with referral sources, and outings to nail salons. The government also alleges that AHI entered into personal services agreements with referring physicians that were above fair market value. Under these agreements, physicians were compensated to interpret the scans that they referred to AHI.

I was a patient of American Health Imaging in 2019 where radiology Dr. Angus Baird MD failed to note a broken skull injury and head trauma I almost died from. Subsequently, I tried to contact Scott Arant of AHI, the doctor and Birmingham Radiological Group (50 MD's on payroll) CEO Doyle Stewart (listen to my recorded phone calls in other videos on my channel). NONE would help me correct this mistake, refund my $500, or get me any recourse or redress in my matter. I was physically disabled and being denied and dismissed repeatedly after paying money. I likewise filed a complaint with the Alabama medical board, this was thrown out and dismissed. I am convinced AHI and their partners (such as UAB St. Vincent's (Ascension) are thoroughly corrupt and instances such as this reveal only the tip of the iceberg of far deeper issues.
Transcript
00:00All right, as always, you can go to YouTube channel My Medical Nightmare and see 40 plus
00:07hours video on everything that happened to me.
00:10Thank you for calling American Health Imaging.
00:13To reach A-R-A-N-T-S-C-O-T-T, press 1, the party you are trying to reach is busy and cannot
00:25take your call.
00:27Please leave a message after the tone.
00:30Hello, sir.
00:30I was a patient at American Health Imaging 2019, and I had an MRI scan done.
00:37This was looked at by Birmingham Radiological Group, Dr. Angus Baird, MD.
00:43Oh, yeah, the facility was Birmingham, Alabama, American Health Imaging, downtown New York,
00:48UAB Hospital.
00:50So I was told in the report by this doctor that I had no injuries appear in my MRI.
00:56I knew this was not the case.
00:58I got a copy of my images, and I found out I was misdiagnosed.
01:03I had serious head trauma and evidence of a broken skull in the area of the vascular skull
01:10region, occipital, condyle, condylar, canal.
01:12And I've had a lot of problems trying to contact American Health Imaging and the doctors associated
01:21to possibly have this issue addressed, acknowledged, possibly have the imagery re-read or some kind
01:30of re-dressed in this situation.
01:32I was a self-paid patient, self-referred, $500 cash payment.
01:40And, yeah, I called American Health Imaging last week.
01:43I was hung up on in the Birmingham facility by a girl.
01:49Her name was Jessie.
01:50I tried to call AHI Corporate last week.
01:55I reached a call center in India, and I was told that someone would call me back.
02:01They took down my number, and I've not been contacted on this issue.
02:05Mr. Errant, I think you need to look into this, please.
02:09This is a very serious error.
02:12I called Birmingham Radiological Group.
02:15They tell me I've got to go through you.
02:16All right, courtesy the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Georgia, American
02:22Health Imaging and Scott Arendt to pay over $5 million to resolve allegations of health
02:29care kickbacks.
02:30This story is dated December 2nd, 2024.
02:35American Health Imaging, AHI, and its former founder and CEO, Scott W. Arendt, will pay the
02:43United States and the state of Georgia $5,250,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the
02:51False Claims Act by, one, providing physicians with meals, tickets to sporting events, and other
02:58gifts to induce those physicians to refer diagnostic scans to AHI's independent diagnostic testing
03:08facilities, and two, entering into above fair market value personal services agreements with
03:16referring physicians to induce those physicians to refer scans to AHI.
03:21The government alleges that between 2011 and 2019, AHI relied on a variety of inducements, sporting
03:30events, fishing trips, happy hours, sponsorships of open houses at physician offices.
03:38And gifts of alcohol, gas cards, and free scans to generate referrals for diagnostic scans.
03:46Many of AHI's events involve no discernible educational purpose.
03:51Examples include tickets to the SEC football championship game, tickets to concerts, monthly
03:57dinners with referral sources, and outings to nail salons.
04:02The government also alleges that AHI entered into personal services agreements with referring
04:08physicians that were above fair market value.
04:11Under these agreements, physicians were compensated to interpret the scans that they referred to
04:16AHI.
04:17Alright, so viewers to my channel will be well familiar with American Health Imaging.
04:23I tried to warn people about this company, which has branched out and expanded across the Birmingham,
04:30Alabama area in recent years.
04:33I was a patient and customer of American Health Imaging in 2019.
04:38They are affiliated locally with UAB St. Vincent's, formerly Ascension, and they used doctors with
04:47Birmingham Radiological Group locally.
04:49My opinion, if you had any dealings with American Health Imaging, you need to go back and check
04:55your stuff.
04:56Double check it, triple check it.
04:58These latest allegations, there's apparently some finessing and lubrication of their processes.
05:06This is yet another huge indication of corruption.
05:09And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
05:11This stuff is endemically corrupt, through and through.
05:16You can go look at my videos on my channel to get some ideas about some of the others involved
05:21in these scams.
05:22Do not trust American Health Imaging.
05:24Do not trust their partners.
05:26After discovering I was misdiagnosed by Dr. Angus Baird, MD, I took this matter to the
05:34CEO of Birmingham Radiological Group, which oversees around 50 doctors.
05:40They would not put me in contact with this member doctor or help me in any way to resolve
05:46my own issues.
05:46I filed a complaint against Angus Baird stemming from my own case with Alabama Board of Medical
05:54Examiners and Licensure Commission.
05:57That complaint was thrown out, dismissed, despite the fact that I sent in the original images,
06:04which clearly show the injury in my head, versus the written report of this doctor, which claims
06:10I have no injury.
06:11Alright, so in this call I attempt to contact radiologist Angus Baird, MD.
06:20And this doctor, he read an MRI scan that I had done at American Health Imaging in Birmingham,
06:30Alabama, May 15, 2019.
06:36This cost $500 cash.
06:40So in this scan I was told that no injuries appeared.
06:43However, if you look at the images, you'll see that I have signs of head trauma.
06:52And I believe that I broke a bone in the underside of my skull.
06:57That's the basilar area occipital condyle, condylar canal region.
07:03And you may be able to see infection in this area.
07:09And the pain in this area, this is the reason that I had this MRI scan done.
07:14It was missed by this radiologist.
07:17Alright, so the phone number I found, it leads to Birmingham Radiological Group.
07:24And they tell me they can't connect me directly to the doctor and I should call American Health
07:31Imaging, where I had the MRI scan done.
07:36So here I call American Health Imaging, Birmingham, Alabama.
07:42And although I had this scan done in 2019, this receptionist tells me that they don't deal
07:51with those doctors anymore.
07:53And yeah, I wonder why.
07:55I might actually know the reason.
07:59Tells me that I will have to go through another doctor.
08:03We have another MRI scan and I paid $500 for this one already in order for them to do some
08:13kind of procedure and have this scan looked at again.
08:20And yes, I do not believe the statement that I'm giving here is correct.
08:24I paid for this service, the MRI scan itself, and the radiologist report.
08:32Injuries show up in the pictures.
08:35The doctor did not acknowledge the injury.
08:41And then a bit of an argument ensues and I was hung up on by this call agent from American
08:49Health Imaging.
08:50So prospective customers out there, clients and business partners, apparently they don't
08:58stand behind their work.
09:01Yeah, and I mean, you know, my experience doing with this, run around and excuses.
09:08You can see everything that happened to me regarding this issue.
09:12It's on my YouTube channel, My Medical Nightmare.
09:15Thank you for calling American Health Imaging.
09:20This is Jesse.
09:21How can I help you?
09:22Yes, ma'am.
09:23I was a patient at AHI in 2019.
09:26I had an MRI scan done.
09:28I had an injury show up in an MRI and I got a doctor's report saying no injury was present.
09:35I need to try to talk to somebody about having this MRI scan looked at again, please.
09:40So your doctor will have to request that we can...
09:45Okay.
09:46I was told to call you guys to get in touch with the doctor, Dr. Angus Baird.
09:50Um, he doesn't, he doesn't work here no more.
09:54That's an old radiologist.
09:56We don't use those radiologists anymore.
09:58So again, like the doctor that referred you, um, or just a doctor, a new doctor you're going
10:05to now, you could have them, um, have a new MRI done and they can do a, um, what is
10:16that, what is it called?
10:18Yeah.
10:19They can have an addendum done.
10:20Okay.
10:21Well, I have a problem with an MRI that was taken, uh, that I paid money to you guys for,
10:26uh, that, uh, I got a report that said I had no injuries and the injury shows up in this
10:31MRI.
10:32I need to try to get in touch with that, uh, doctor, please.
10:35Okay.
10:36So what I'm telling you is you can have your doctor that referred you to...
10:40Well, I don't, I don't need a doctor.
10:41I'm, I'm calling you guys to get in touch with a doctor directly.
10:44If you would listen, I'm trying to tell you that...
10:48You have to say something intelligible first, madam.
10:51I'm trying to explain to you how you can have this done.
10:55Okay.
10:56I was told to call you guys.
10:57I was told to call you guys and you would get me in touch with the doctor.
11:00Nice and empty.
11:02Okay.
11:03You know what, this is the acting therapist?
11:04Quite a bunch of, you know, comics, dogs, you know,igkeiten, counsellors.
11:06OK.
11:09I listened to those who touched the camera on people, man.
11:10Exactly.
11:11Do what I got.
11:12Now, Dr.
11:13Yes, you should 11 people.
11:14You should have fallen pressure or, you should have more chocolate items.
11:17And that's it...
11:18No.
11:19Go over on them.
11:20You should have gravitation.
11:22Yes, you should have fallen pressure.
11:23Yeah.
11:24I'll preserve your brain.
11:25My heart.
11:26No.
11:27I'm a doctor.
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