This past week alone, multiple doctors and other healthcare providers across the nation were prosecuted, convicted and/or sentenced criminally for misconduct that also constitutes medical malpractice civilly. For example:
- On April 14, 2016, a Texas federal court jury unanimously convicted a Dallas doctor (Dr. Jacques Roy) and three home health care agency owners of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, including for $350,000,000.00 in Medicare funds and for $24,000,000.00 in Medicaid funds; plus Dr. Roy was convicted of 8 counts of health care fraud (including unnecessary procedures), 1 count of false statements, and 1 count of obstructing justice.
- On April 19, 2016, a Detroit doctor (Dr. Ali Elhorr) pleaded guilty and was convicted in Michigan federal court of conspiracy to commit health care fraud for personally submitting $2,400,000.00 of false claims for physician home services in a $11,500,000.00 Medicare scheme.
- On February 20, 2016, a California federal prosecutor told trial jurors that two Los Angeles doctors (Sri Wijegoonavatna and Boyao Huang) defrauded the United States of $9,000,000.00 by referring for hospice care patients who were not actually dying.
- Also on February 20, 2016, Dr. Gary Safier – one of twenty-seven (27) Newark doctors to plead guilty in the Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services “cash-for-referrals” scheme – was sentenced by New Jersey federal court for accepting over $350,000.00 in bribes as part of the scam involving $100,000,000.00 in payments by Medicare.
Despite self-serving propaganda by insurance and other healthcare interests, is it any wonder that patients sue for medical malpractice – or that our Medicare and Medicaid costs spiral when doctors rampantly fleece the public for hundred of millions of dollars?
