A radiology practice in Texas has agreed to pay an $800,000 fine to settle charges that it billed twice for the reading and interpretation of genetic ultrasound exams.
Radiology Associates of Corpus Christi agreed to the payment to settle charges that it double billed for the scans while interpreting several thousand studies acquired at Children's Physician Services of South Texas (CPSST) from 2002 to 2007. CPSST agreed to pay $1.5 million in connection with the case.
According to authorities, Radiology Associates was supposed to bill for the professional component of the scans, while CPSST billed for the technical component. However, CPSST billed for both components of the studies, without informing Radiology Associates.
Radiology Associates later discovered the double billing and informed CPSST of the errors, but CPSST denied that double billing had occurred in all but a few exams. CPSST instructed Radiology Associates to continue to bill for the professional component, which it did.
Federal and state authorities believe that Radiology Associates "accepted CPSST's misrepresentations without question and continued to bill and receive payment for the professional component," according to a press release issued by the Texas attorney general's office.
The charges were originally leveled in a qui tam (whistleblower) lawsuit filed in 2008 by a former revenue manager and coding compliance officer with Radiology Associates.
![Examples of ultrasound findings and techniques. (A) Images in a 39-year-old male patient with a mass in the left thigh. The mass is heterogeneous on the B-mode US image (compared with the patient in D) and showed increased microvascularity (superb microvascular imaging [SMI]) and shear-wave elastography (SWE) values. Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy (with pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma in surgical specimen). (B) Images in an 18-year-old male patient with a mass in the left leg. The mass is hypoechoic on the B-mode image, with no other findings suggestive of malignancy. The lesion is in contact with the cortex of the tibia, which is slightly irregular. CT revealed a doubtful anteromedial tibial erosion. The microvascular study demonstrated high vascularization, suggestive of malignancy. Periosteal Ewing sarcoma was diagnosed with both histologic and immunohistochemical confirmation. (C) Images in a 69-year-old female patient with a lump growing on the outside of the left leg. Multiple SWE examinations were performed (please note the high values obtained in the measurements, whereas the color map highlights the stiffness relative to adjacent tissues). SMI showed areas of increased vascularization to target for sampling. Undifferentiated spindle cell sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with residual leiomyosarcoma in the surgical specimen after neoadjuvant therapy. (D) Images in a 56-year-old female patient with a mass in the right thigh. The mass is heterogeneous at both B-mode ultrasound (similar to patient A) and MRI (coronal T2-weighted spectral attenuated inversion recovery [SPAIR]; T1-weighted pre-contrast and postcontrast imaging), which even shows uptake after the administration of paramagnetic contrast material, which is traditionally suggestive of malignancy. Low values at SMI and elastography are suggestive of benignity. Spindle cell lipoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with atypical spindle cell lipomatous tumor in the surgical specimen.](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/08/images-radiol250278fig2.APCFLSvX6p.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
