NEW YORK – Exagen has agreed to pay $653,143 to settle allegations that it paid doctors specimen processing fees to encourage them to use the company's laboratory tests, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts said on Tuesday.
According to the US attorney's office, Vista, California-based Exagen, which develops and offers autoimmune tests, agreed to factual admissions that it paid doctors to complete blood draws of patients. The company then billed federal health care programs to perform tests on the blood draws.
The settlement stems from a whistleblower lawsuit, and in connection with the settlement, the relator will receive 16 percent of the recovery, the US attorney's office said.