Georgia man sentenced to 27 years in prison for Medicare fraud

A Georgia man was sentenced to 27 years in prison for participating in a scheme to defraud Medicare by providing more than $463 million in genetic and other laboratory tests. In fact, the patients did not need the tests, but the convict prescribed them through kickbacks and bribes. This is stated on the website. US Department of Justice.

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Minal Patel, 44, of Atlanta, owned LabSolutions LLC, a Medicare-registered lab that performed sophisticated genetic tests, according to court documents.

Patel colluded with medical brokers, telemedicine companies and call centers to attack Medicare recipients with phone calls, falsely claiming that Medicare covers expensive genetic cancer tests.

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When Medicare beneficiaries agreed to take the test, Patel paid kickbacks and bribes to get signed medical records authorizing the tests. To hide kickbacks and bribes, he required brokers to sign fictitious contracts that falsely stated that they were providing legitimate advertising services for LabSolutions, when, as Patel knew well, brokers were misleading Medicare recipients, paying kickbacks and bribes for obtaining prescriptions for genetic testing.

The convict knew that online doctors signed prescriptions for expensive genetic tests, even if they did not treat patients, and often did not talk to them at all, did not assess the medical need. From July 2016 to August 2019, LabSolutions filed more than $463 million in claims with Medicare, including for thousands of medically unnecessary genetic tests, of which Medicare paid out more than $187 million. During this time, Patel personally received more than $21 from Medicare million through fraud.

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“Deceit, kickbacks and bribes have no place in providing legitimate genetic testing and telehealth services to patients who need them,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Veltri. —Patel defrauded Medicare of hundreds of millions of dollars through a complex testing fraud scheme. Now he is paying for the crime he committed.”

“This result sends a strong message that we will not tolerate those who exploit Medicare patients and pay kickbacks to healthcare providers for prescribing medically unnecessary tests, all for illicit financial gain,” said Acting Special Agent Julie. Rivera.

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