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Doctors, nurses among hundreds charged
with defrauding U.S. health programs
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 [July 14, 2017]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 400
people, including doctors and nurses, have been charged with defrauding
Medicare and other federal healthcare programs of $1.3 billion, with
many accused of illegally distributing opioids and other narcotics, the
Justice Department said on Thursday.
A total of 412 people, including almost 115 doctors, nurses and other
medical professionals, have been charged in the sweeping enforcement
action, the biggest ever by the multi-agency Medicare Strike Force, the
Justice Department said in a statement.
More than 120 people were accused of illegally prescribing and
distributing opioids and other dangerous narcotics, charges that come as
about 91 Americans die daily from opioid-related overdoses.
"Too many trusted medical professionals like doctors, nurses and
pharmacists have chosen to violate their oaths and put greed ahead of
their patients," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in the statement.
“Amazingly, some have made their practices into multi-million-dollar
criminal enterprises."
Those charged participated in schemes that billed Medicaid, Medicare and
TRICARE - which serves military personnel, veterans and their families -
for unneeded drugs and treatments that were often never provided, the
Justice Department said. Medicaid and Medicare provide healthcare for
the poor and elderly.
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U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announces the results of the
national health care fraud takedown during a news conference at the
Justice Department in Washington, U.S., July 13, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron
P. Bernstein
In many cases, healthcare providers paid cash kickbacks to patients
and others in exchange for medical data that would allow them to
file fraudulent bills to Medicare, the Justice Department said.
In addition to the hundreds charged, the Department of Health and
Human Services has launched suspension procedures against almost 300
medical service providers, including doctors, nurses and
pharmacists, the Justice Department said.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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