Becker's has reported on five cases of physician fraud since Jan. 1:
1. David Young, MD, a physician based in Fredericksburg, Texas, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $26.6 million in restitution for his involvement in a $70 million Medicare fraud scheme. Dr. Young submitted fraudulent claims and prescriptions for medically unnecessary orthotic braces and genetic tests for more than 13,000 purported patients that he never examined nor consulted.
2. Tajul Chowdhury, MD, a physician in Edinburg, Texas, and his son pleaded guilty to receiving kickbacks in exchange for referring prescriptions to local pharmacies. Dr. Chowdhury owned and operated a medical practice in Edinburg, and his son worked as a purported marketer for a local pharmacy. Prescriptions for costly compound drugs were referred from Dr. Chowdhury's clinic, who received kickbacks in exchange.
3. Roselle Park, N.J.-based Euguene Evans, MD, has pleaded guilty to charges of illegally distributing oxycodone. Dr. Evans was arrested in January writing fraudulent prescriptions for individuals he never treated or examined in a conspiracy with a drug dealer to distribute thousands of high-dose oxycodone pills.
4. Three physicians — Abbesalom Ghermay, MD, of Plano, Texas, James Cook, MD, of Richmond, Va., and Daniel Theesfeld, MD, of Longview, Texas — and two lab marketers have agreed to pay a total of $1,137,914 to resolve allegations they took part in laboratory kickback schemes. The three physicians have agreed to pay a total of $534,594 to resolve allegations that entered financial arrangements that influenced referrals for laboratory testing.
5. Scott Saffold, MD, and his practice will pay $625,000 to resolve allegations that he and his medical practice falsely billed government healthcare programs. Dr. Saffold and his practice, Chesapeake Bay (Va.) ENT, billed the government for balloon sinus dilations that were not medically necessary. Dr. Saffold allegedly knowingly performed these surgeries on six sinuses for many patients without medical necessity.