A Connecticut physician pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud and kickback charges, the Justice Department said.
Ananthakumar Thillainathan, MD, owns MDCareNow, a practice with offices in Stratford and Milford, Conn. According to a Nov. 3 news release, between 2019 and 2022, Dr. Thillainathan submitted fraudulent psychotherapy claims to Connecticut Medicaid.
Dr. Thillainathan also admitted in his guilty plea to paying a patient recruiting company to bring Medicaid patients to his practice. According to the Justice Department, he paid the patient recruiting company for recruiting over 1,000 patients.
The state's Medicaid program reimbursed Dr. Thillainathan's practice over $1 million for services provided to these patients.
As part of his plea agreement, Dr. Thillainathan will pay $1.67 million in restitution to the state.
Dr. Thillainathan faces up to 10 years imprisonment on both counts. He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 26.