ID :
162128
Fri, 02/18/2011 - 13:39
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https://oananews.org//node/162128
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Indians among 111 charged in major US healthcare fraud
Boston (PTI) - At least six Indian-origin
persons are among over 100 doctors, nurses and healthcare
professionals arrested on charges of alleged involvement in a
massive Medicare fraud estimated at USD 225 million, in one of
the biggest crackdowns on healthcare fraud-related crimes in
the US.
The 111 people charged across nine cities are accused
of crimes, including conspiracy to defraud Medicare, criminal
false claims, money laundering and aggravated identify theft.
"With this takedown, we have identified and shut down
large-scale fraud schemes operating throughout the country.
This is the largest federal healthcare fraud takedown in our
nation's history," said Attorney General Eric Holder who
announced the charges with Health and Human Services Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius.
Medicare is a government insurance programme that
covers Americans who are 65 and older. About 45 million
elderly and disabled Americans are enrolled in taxpayer-funded
Medicare plans.
Collectively, the doctors, nurses, health care company
owners charged in the fraud are accused of falsely billing
Medicare of more than USD 225 million.
Over 60,000 Indian-origin doctors are estimated to be
operating in the US which has a total of about 954,000
doctors.
More than 700 agents from the FBI and the Department
of Health and Human Services arrested the alleged swindlers
in Brooklyn, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles,
Louisiana, Miami and Tampa.
The agents also executed 16 search warrants across the
country in connection with the ongoing investigation.
According to court documents, defendants participated
in schemes to submit claims to Medicare for treatments that
were medically unnecessary and often never provided.
In Chicago, Indian-origin doctor Jaswinder Rai
Chhibber, president and owner of a medical clinic, was
arrested and presented in court. He is charged with one count
of healthcare fraud.
According to the charges, Chhibber, 48, submitted
reimbursement claims for medical procedures he never rendered.
He allegedly performed complicated diagnostic tests on
patients without a medical need for those tests besides
billing insurance providers for tests never actually performed
on patients.
In Detroit, among those charged were Vishnu Pradeep
Meda, 30, Ram Naresh Rajulapati, 31 and Surya Nallani, 43.
Nallani was charged with fraud in connection with an
approximately USD 8.5 million physicians visiting group
operation.
She billed Medicare for home visits which required her
to be physically present, when in fact she was abroad.
In Tampa in Florida, physician Jayam Krishna Iyer was
charged with submitting approximately USD 457,000 in claims to
Medicare for services she did not render.
Clearwater physician Iyer, 59, was accused of
submitting Medicare claims for services allegedly rendered by
another doctor who was excluded from Medicare because of a
fraud conviction.
Iyer's attorney, George Tragos, said his client
believes she carried out her responsibilities. The accusation
"doesn't say that the services weren't performed or the
services weren't performed properly."
Another Indian-origin person, Harsh Mehta, 32, owner
of a pharmacy, billed the medical insurers for pharmaceutical
products he did not dispense.
Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer said
healthcare professionals from "Los Angeles to New York and
cities in between have cheated taxpayers and patients alike by
defrauding the Medicare programme".
Thirty-two people were charged in Miami for falsely
billing Medicare USD 55 million for home healthcare, durable
medical equipment and prescription drugs.
Twenty-one defendants were charged in Detroit for a
USD 23 million fraud, while in Brooklyn, New York, 10 people
were involved in USD 90 million of false billings.
In Houston, 9 individuals were charged for schemes
involving eight million dollars while in Dallas, seven were
indicted for conspiring to submit USD 2.8 million in false
billing to Medicare.
In Chicago, charges were filed against 11 individuals
for falsely billing Medicare more than USD six million.
Last year, federal agencies recovered a record USD
four billion from fraudsters, Sebelius said.
Four top officials of a leading chain of community
mental health centres were also among those charged with the
crime.
Among the arrested were Lawrence Duran, owner of
American Therapeutic Corp, Marianella Valera, chief executive
officer of the company. American Therapeutic is among the
nation's largest chain of community mental health centres
licensed by Medicare.
The company allegedly altered files of patients with
dementia and paid owners of assisted living centres and
halfway houses to force the patients to attend programmes at
their health centres.
Duran and Valera are being detained in Miami and their
case is expected to go to trial in August.
"Our office will be vigilant in ferreting out and
bringing to justice those individuals who perpetrate fraud on
Medicare, Medicaid and other government health care benefit
programs," US Attorney Robert O'Neill said in a statement.
persons are among over 100 doctors, nurses and healthcare
professionals arrested on charges of alleged involvement in a
massive Medicare fraud estimated at USD 225 million, in one of
the biggest crackdowns on healthcare fraud-related crimes in
the US.
The 111 people charged across nine cities are accused
of crimes, including conspiracy to defraud Medicare, criminal
false claims, money laundering and aggravated identify theft.
"With this takedown, we have identified and shut down
large-scale fraud schemes operating throughout the country.
This is the largest federal healthcare fraud takedown in our
nation's history," said Attorney General Eric Holder who
announced the charges with Health and Human Services Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius.
Medicare is a government insurance programme that
covers Americans who are 65 and older. About 45 million
elderly and disabled Americans are enrolled in taxpayer-funded
Medicare plans.
Collectively, the doctors, nurses, health care company
owners charged in the fraud are accused of falsely billing
Medicare of more than USD 225 million.
Over 60,000 Indian-origin doctors are estimated to be
operating in the US which has a total of about 954,000
doctors.
More than 700 agents from the FBI and the Department
of Health and Human Services arrested the alleged swindlers
in Brooklyn, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles,
Louisiana, Miami and Tampa.
The agents also executed 16 search warrants across the
country in connection with the ongoing investigation.
According to court documents, defendants participated
in schemes to submit claims to Medicare for treatments that
were medically unnecessary and often never provided.
In Chicago, Indian-origin doctor Jaswinder Rai
Chhibber, president and owner of a medical clinic, was
arrested and presented in court. He is charged with one count
of healthcare fraud.
According to the charges, Chhibber, 48, submitted
reimbursement claims for medical procedures he never rendered.
He allegedly performed complicated diagnostic tests on
patients without a medical need for those tests besides
billing insurance providers for tests never actually performed
on patients.
In Detroit, among those charged were Vishnu Pradeep
Meda, 30, Ram Naresh Rajulapati, 31 and Surya Nallani, 43.
Nallani was charged with fraud in connection with an
approximately USD 8.5 million physicians visiting group
operation.
She billed Medicare for home visits which required her
to be physically present, when in fact she was abroad.
In Tampa in Florida, physician Jayam Krishna Iyer was
charged with submitting approximately USD 457,000 in claims to
Medicare for services she did not render.
Clearwater physician Iyer, 59, was accused of
submitting Medicare claims for services allegedly rendered by
another doctor who was excluded from Medicare because of a
fraud conviction.
Iyer's attorney, George Tragos, said his client
believes she carried out her responsibilities. The accusation
"doesn't say that the services weren't performed or the
services weren't performed properly."
Another Indian-origin person, Harsh Mehta, 32, owner
of a pharmacy, billed the medical insurers for pharmaceutical
products he did not dispense.
Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer said
healthcare professionals from "Los Angeles to New York and
cities in between have cheated taxpayers and patients alike by
defrauding the Medicare programme".
Thirty-two people were charged in Miami for falsely
billing Medicare USD 55 million for home healthcare, durable
medical equipment and prescription drugs.
Twenty-one defendants were charged in Detroit for a
USD 23 million fraud, while in Brooklyn, New York, 10 people
were involved in USD 90 million of false billings.
In Houston, 9 individuals were charged for schemes
involving eight million dollars while in Dallas, seven were
indicted for conspiring to submit USD 2.8 million in false
billing to Medicare.
In Chicago, charges were filed against 11 individuals
for falsely billing Medicare more than USD six million.
Last year, federal agencies recovered a record USD
four billion from fraudsters, Sebelius said.
Four top officials of a leading chain of community
mental health centres were also among those charged with the
crime.
Among the arrested were Lawrence Duran, owner of
American Therapeutic Corp, Marianella Valera, chief executive
officer of the company. American Therapeutic is among the
nation's largest chain of community mental health centres
licensed by Medicare.
The company allegedly altered files of patients with
dementia and paid owners of assisted living centres and
halfway houses to force the patients to attend programmes at
their health centres.
Duran and Valera are being detained in Miami and their
case is expected to go to trial in August.
"Our office will be vigilant in ferreting out and
bringing to justice those individuals who perpetrate fraud on
Medicare, Medicaid and other government health care benefit
programs," US Attorney Robert O'Neill said in a statement.
