Hovik Simitian, the former owner and operator of three medical clinics in Los Angeles, has been sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison for his involvement in a massive kickback scheme, according to the Department of Justice.
Mr. Simitian owned and operated the following clinics in Los Angeles: Columbia Medical Group, Life Care Medical Clinic and Safe Health Medical Clinic.
In August, Mr. Simitian pleaded guilty to submitting more than $4.5 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare. He admitted that from February 2010 through June 2014, he and his co-conspirators paid cash kickbacks to patient recruiters who brought Medicare beneficiaries to the clinics. In addition, Mr. Simitian admitted he and his co-conspirators billed Medicare for lab tests and other services that either were not medically necessary or were not actually provided to the Medicare beneficiaries.
Along with his prison sentence, Mr. Simitian was ordered to pay nearly $1.7 million in restitution to Medicare — the amount the government insurer paid out on the fraudulent claims he submitted.
More articles on healthcare industry lawsuits:
10 latest healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements
ACLU sues Dignity Health over hospital's refusal to perform tubal ligation
Shuttered Dallas hospital hit with lawsuit over unpaid wages