From a Michigan physician paying $6.5 million to settle allegations he billed for unnecessary services, to a Georgia laboratory owner being sentenced to prison for his role in a $463 million scheme, here are 10 healthcare billing fraud cases Becker's reported since Aug. 15:
1. A physician from Clarksville, Tenn., was sentenced to seven years in prison after being convicted of more than a dozen healthcare fraud charges.
2. A Michigan pain management specialist will pay $6.5 million to settle allegations he billed Medicare and Medicaid for medically unnecessary services.
3. Orlando, Fla., resident Patrick Fitchner pleaded guilty in New Jersey federal court to his role in a $3.6 million durable medical equipment kickback scheme.
4. The former president of pharmacy company Apogee Bio-Pharm pleaded guilty to his role in a scheme to charge Medicare and Tricare for expensive prescriptions obtained through kickbacks.
5. A Georgia laboratory owner was sentenced to 27 years in prison for his role in a scheme that submitted more than $463 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.
6. The program administrator for behavioral health company Holy Health Care Services was convicted of charges related to a Medicaid billing fraud scheme.
7. A Louisiana medical equipment company owner pleaded guilty to billing over $11 million in false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for medically unnecessary devices.
8. A Florida resident was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in an $11 million scheme to defraud Medicare by supplying fraudulent orders for durable medical equipment.
9. Greenwood Village, Colo.-based Air Methods Corp. will pay $1.05 million to the federal government to settle allegations it did not return overpayments it received from Medicare, Tricare and Kentucky Medicaid.
10. A Pittsburgh man who owned two area laboratories was sentenced to 18 months in prison, ordered to forfeit $9 million and pay more than $77 million for his role in three kickback schemes.