In a June 27 news release, the Justice Department said the charges include more than $900 million fraud scheme connected to amniotic wound grafts and more than $1.1 billion in telemedicine and lab fraud. The charges also covered $450 million in other healthcare fraud and opioid schemes.
In the instance involving the amniotic wound grafts, physicians allegedly used amniotic wound grafts unnecessarily for Medicare beneficiaries “without coordination with the patients’ treating physicians and without proper treatment for infection,” according to the news release. Medicare paid the two defendants in this case more than $600 million in 16 months. The defendants also owned wound care companies and received more than $330 million in illegal kickbacks, according to the release.
The federal government seized more than $70 million, including four luxury vehicles and gold, connected to this case.
All together, the charges represented $2.7 billion in fraudulent claims filed and $1.6 billion in losses.
Read more about all of the charges here.
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