Spyros Panos, MD, a former orthopedic surgeon who was previously convicted of healthcare fraud, is accused of assuming the identity of a licensed orthopedic surgeon to review patient files in workers' compensation cases, according to the Department of Justice.
Dr. Panos surrendered his medical license in August 2013, and he pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud in October of that year. He began serving a 54-month prison sentence in April 2014, and he was released to a halfway house in September 2016. Dr. Panos has been serving a two-year term of supervised release since March 2017.
After he pleaded guilty in 2013 but before he began serving his prison term, Dr. Panos allegedly stole another physician's identity to bill several companies roughly $860,000 for workers' compensation case reviews that he was not licensed to perform.
Dr. Panos is charged with wire fraud, healthcare fraud and aggravated identity theft.
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