Edgard Salazar, MD, of Armonk, N.Y., has been indicted for allegedly conspiring to bill Medicare for thousands of consultations that never happened and millions of dollars in orthotic braces patients didn’t want or need, according to a Nov. 12 news release from the U.S. Justice Department.
Telemedicine company TelevisitMD allegedly let Dr. Salazar sign prefilled prescriptions for braces for Medicare beneficiaries who didn’t need them. He did not examine or treat the patients and often didn’t speak to them at all, according to court documents. When he did speak with them, some told him they didn’t want or need the braces, and he signed the prescriptions anyway. He also allegedly billed Medicare for telemedicine consultations he never performed. In total, Dr. Salazar allegedly took part in submitting more than $6.8 million in false claims to Medicare.
TelevisitMD owner Christopher Harwood pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud and agreed to pay $17.9 million in restitution. He was sentenced last month to 20 years in prison.
A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida charged Dr. Salazar with conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and five counts of healthcare fraud. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison on each count.
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