Federal Judge Refuses to Dismiss Kickback Lawsuit

TULSA, Okla. (AP/STAFF) – A federal judge has denied motions to dismiss a civil fraud lawsuit against an Oklahoma emergency medical services company and a Texas contractor. The Tulsa World reports a U.S. District Judge has rejected requests for dismissals by the Emergency Medical Services Authority, its former CEO, Texas contractor Paramedics Plus and others named in the case. The lawsuit filed in January claims that Paramedics Plus and its parent company, East Texas Medical Center Regional Healthcare System, entered into a $20 million kickback scheme to obtain and keep a profitable public ambulance services contract awarded by the authority and its director. It claims the “pay to play” scheme violates anti-kickback statutes and the False Claims Act. Company officials say they “fundamentally disagree with the allegations” in the lawsuit and believe the claims are unsupported.