Medical centers will pay $4.4 million for unnecessary surgery

Two medical centers will pay the government $4.4 million after they unnecessarily performed surgery on patients in order to bill Medicare for the services, according to a press release from the Justice Department.

EMH Regional Medical Medical Center and the North Ohio Heart Center, Inc. performed unnecessary angioplasty and stent placement procedures on patients, then billed the government according to officials.

"Most doctors act responsibly. These few didn’t,” said Steven Dettelbach, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. “Patient health and taxpayer dollars have to come before greed.”