A physician who practices medicine in New London and Norwich has agreed to pay $99,912 to resolve allegations that he submitted fraudulent claims for reimbursement to Medicare and Medicaid between January 2009 and December 2012.

The government alleges that Dr. Helar Campos submitted claims for office visits, also known as evaluation and management services, that were not performed in accordance with program requirements. The government alleges Campos "upcoded" the claims by using a higher-paying billing code when services with lower-paying billing codes were provided.

To resolve his liability under the False Claims Act, Campos agreed to pay a civil settlement of $99,912. Under the False Claims Act, the government can recover up to three times its actual damages, plus penalties of $11,181 to $22,363 for each false claim.

The case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne F. Thidemann with the assistance of Auditor Kevin A. Saunders.

U.S. Attorney John Durham encourages individuals who suspect health care fraud to report it by calling the Health Care Fraud Task Force at (203) 785-9270 or 1 (800) 447-8477.