Agents from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services executed a federal search warrant at Anesthesia Business Consultants (ABC) yesterday, looking into healthcare fraud allegations, officials with the Office of Inspector General said. ABC is the largest physician billing and practice management company specializing exclusively in the practice of anesthesia and pain management. ABC serves several thousand anesthesiologists and CRNAs nationwide with anesthesia billing software solutions.

Ten computer forensic examiners and 20 agents from Detroit, New York and Philadelphia descended on ABC's Jackson, Mich., headquarters to investigate allegations of healthcare fraud based out of Brooklyn, New York, where the company has clients, says Joseph Napolitano, the OIG's assistant special agent in charge. Federal agents are looking into "allegations of healthcare fraud, included but not limited to the Medicare program, the Medicaid program and some private insurance companies," says Mr. Napolitano, adding that investigators were copying data from the company's computers, as well as seizing some paper documents. The investigation is expected to take approximately a week.

The HHS Office of the Inspector General is charged with combating fraud, waste and abuse in the Medicare and Medicaid programs as well oversight of all other HHS programs. "Investigations, research and audits are our main tools in carrying out this mission," says an OIG spokesperson.

ABC handles anesthesia billing claims for Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance companies. The company has been in business for 30 years.

"There is no fraud allegation. It is an investigation," says Tony Mira, CEO of Anesthesia Business Consultants. "ABC was served with a search warrant yesterday. ABC is cooperating in the collection of the requested information and our office and full staff in Jackson has resumed business as usual today and that there will be no disruption of service to our clients."

Dan O'Connor