A Tennessee podiatrist was convicted of defrauding Medicare and the state's Medicaid program by prescribing and dispensing medically unnecessary foot bath medications.
Nathan Lucas, DPM, 59, of Memphis, owned and operated a podiatry clinic and two in-house pharmacies, according to a March 18 Justice Department news release. From October 2019 through September 2021, he caused his pharmacies to submit nearly $4 million in claims to Medicare and Medicaid for dispensing expensive foot bath medications that were not medically necessary. His pharmacies were reimbursed more than $3 million.
A federal jury found Dr. Lucas guilty on five counts of healthcare fraud, according to the release. He faces a maximum of 50 years in prison.