An Illinois physician has been sentenced to six months in prison and fined $1 million for billing fraudulent claims to Medicare and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois.
According to a June 16 news release from the Justice Department, John Greager, MD, pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud earlier this year.
Dr. Greager operated Cancer Therapy Associates in Lombard, Ill., according to the news release. From 2015 to 2021, Dr. Greager submitted fraudulent billings for mole removals to Medicare and BCBS Illinois, leading to around $1.7 million in payments, the Justice Department said.
Dr. Greager billed for multiple moles removed on the same date as if they had been removed on multiple dates to maximize reimbursements, according to the news release. The Justice Department said Dr. Greager stored moles at his office and delayed sending them in for pathology testing to make it appear they had been removed on different dates.
The attempt to conceal the fraudulent billing delayed testing for cancer and other critical illnesses, the Justice Department said.