It was 9:00 p.m. The restaurant was clearing out. I was eating alone after returning to the hotel following a meeting.
There he was at a table seventeen feet away, talking to another man. At first I thought that they were on a date, but then I realized that “G” was trying to charm “X” into joining his gastroenterology group.
They say that you’re not supposed to talk about sensitive issues in an elevator or other area in which you can be easily overheard. Either G was never counseled on this or perhaps he thinks that the advice doesn’t apply to restaurants. Or to him. Big mistake.
In fact, restaurants are perhaps the worst places to discuss sensitive business. There’s more time to be overheard and recorded.
G launched into an explanation of how his gastro group makes tons of money from other providers. He then launched into a frank discussion about how they had forced their anesthesiologists into a controlled anesthesia company in order to take 30% of their fees, “easy money for the referrals” is how he put it.
He mentioned other services and even names.
In fact, within 8 minutes he mentioned enough for me (with nothing else to do but “people watch”) to pull out my phone, find his group’s website, search through the online bios of their physicians and pull up his smiling picture.
G is lucky that I’m not with the OIG. Or with the FBI, for that matter.
Don’t engage in kickbacks. If you’re dumb enough to take or give them, don’t talk about it in a restaurant. In fact, don’t talk about sensitive business issues in any public setting.
Assume that you’re being monitored and recorded in elevators, restaurants, and other public places. Because you are.
Maybe I should have filmed G and X and made this a video post?
