The Justice Department today announced a coordinated health care fraud enforcement action across seven federal districts in the Northeastern United States, involving more than $800 million in losses and the distribution of over 3.25 million pills of opioids in "Pill mill" clinics and doctors' offices.
The takedown includes new charges and convictions by guilty plea against 54 defendants for their roles in submitting nearly $800 million in fraudulent claims made to federal payers, including 15 doctors or medical professionals, and 24 defendants are charged for their roles in diverting opioids.
Doctors, marketing executives, pharmacists, and the owners and operators of a genetic testing laboratory have been charged with, or have plead guilty to a range of criminal conduct, including: the criminal prescription of highly-addictive opioid pills to patients with no medical need, the paying of kickbacks and other fraud related to unnecessary genetic testing, fraud and abuse in the compounded medicines business, and other crimes that victimize federal health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid, as well as patients across New Jersey who need medical care.
Today's enforcement actions were led and coordinated by the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division's Fraud Section in conjunction with its Medicare Fraud Strike Force, as well as the U.S. Attorney's Offices for the District of New Jersey, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania, Eastern District of New York, Western District of New York, District of Connecticut, and District of Columbia.
"In New Jersey, these illegal activities run the gamut from over-prescribing dangerous opioids, to running pharmacies improperly, to mis-prescribing unnecessary medications, to tricking patients - often the elderly or vulnerable - into seeking expensive genetic testing or compounded prescriptions they don't need. Today's message should be clear: We are dedicated to combatting all forms of illegal activity in the health care arena. If you put patients' health at risk with criminal intent, you will be dealt with as a criminal."
The indictment alleges that the scheme caused at least $10 million in losses to participating health care plans, at least $3.5 million of which was paid by TRICARE, the federal program that pays for health care services for veterans.
Ark partnered with Privy Health, Inc., a company that McLean operated, and another company to acquire DNA samples and Medicare information from hundreds of patients through various methods, including offering $75 gift cards to patients, all without the involvement of a treating health care professional.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/federal-health-care-fraud-takedown-northeastern-us-results-54-defendants-charged-and
The takedown includes new charges and convictions by guilty plea against 54 defendants for their roles in submitting nearly $800 million in fraudulent claims made to federal payers, including 15 doctors or medical professionals, and 24 defendants are charged for their roles in diverting opioids.
Doctors, marketing executives, pharmacists, and the owners and operators of a genetic testing laboratory have been charged with, or have plead guilty to a range of criminal conduct, including: the criminal prescription of highly-addictive opioid pills to patients with no medical need, the paying of kickbacks and other fraud related to unnecessary genetic testing, fraud and abuse in the compounded medicines business, and other crimes that victimize federal health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid, as well as patients across New Jersey who need medical care.
Today's enforcement actions were led and coordinated by the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division's Fraud Section in conjunction with its Medicare Fraud Strike Force, as well as the U.S. Attorney's Offices for the District of New Jersey, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania, Eastern District of New York, Western District of New York, District of Connecticut, and District of Columbia.
"In New Jersey, these illegal activities run the gamut from over-prescribing dangerous opioids, to running pharmacies improperly, to mis-prescribing unnecessary medications, to tricking patients - often the elderly or vulnerable - into seeking expensive genetic testing or compounded prescriptions they don't need. Today's message should be clear: We are dedicated to combatting all forms of illegal activity in the health care arena. If you put patients' health at risk with criminal intent, you will be dealt with as a criminal."
The indictment alleges that the scheme caused at least $10 million in losses to participating health care plans, at least $3.5 million of which was paid by TRICARE, the federal program that pays for health care services for veterans.
Ark partnered with Privy Health, Inc., a company that McLean operated, and another company to acquire DNA samples and Medicare information from hundreds of patients through various methods, including offering $75 gift cards to patients, all without the involvement of a treating health care professional.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/federal-health-care-fraud-takedown-northeastern-us-results-54-defendants-charged-and
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