Doctor Husband and Attorney Wife Accused of Healthcare Fraud
Jun 27, 2012
Waxahachie, TX (Law Firm Newswire) June 26, 2012 – An attorney and urologist in Texas, who are married, have been charged with a number of crimes.
Chief among the charges are healthcare fraud and conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. The indictment says some health care benefit claims they submitted were false, going back to 2003.The following organizations were allegedly defrauded over about an eight-year period: Medicaid, Medicare, Aetna, Humana Blue Cross Blue Shield, and United Healthcare. Also, prosecutors said the doctor reported seeing 117 patients in a day and working more hours than there are in a one-day period.
At least twice, a prescription chemotherapy injection was given in his office while he was traveling in Iran. The FDA says this procedure should be supervised by a doctor, but apparently it was not. Also, the bill for it was recorded as though he administered the injection, but he did not. In some cases, medical assistants were allegedly allowed to perform functions that only a doctor should undertake, because otherwise a patient’s safety would be at risk.
“Unfortunately, these kinds of patient-endangering situations do happen on occasion,” said Texas personal injury attorney John Hale.
The couple has denied all allegations. A federal grand jury presented a three part indictment. If they are convicted, the maximum penalties are $250,000 each in fines and up to ten years in prison. They also face unrelated charges in Oregon.
According to the FBI, health care fraud costs the U.S. about eighty billion dollars a year. The FBI is the primary agency for investigating health care fraud. Some of their tips for preventing health care fraud are: never sign an insurance claim form that is blank, do not give a medical services provider blanket authorization to bill for services, and provide health insurance identification information only to medical providers and to no one else.
John Hale is a Waxahachie personal injury lawyer and Ellis County personal injury lawyer helping injury victims near Dallas, Texas. Learn more at The Hale Law Firm
The Hale Law Firm
100 Executive Court, Suite 3
Waxahachie, TX 75165
Call: 888.425.3911
