Charlotte, N.C.-based Sudipta Mazumder, MD, was found guilty for her role in a medical equipment scheme that defrauded federal benefits programs of more than $5 million.
In 2019 and 2020, Dr. Mazumder, 47, worked as a physician and independent contractor for a telemedicine company and signed fraudulent orders for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment for patients insured by the Medicare and Tricare programs, according to a Sept. 27 Justice Department news release. Dr. Mazumder received unsigned orders for the devices from the telemedicine company for beneficiaries she had little to no interaction with, which she signed and returned in exchange for $20 for each purported assessment she performed.
Dr. Mazumder falsely stated in those orders that she was treating the patients for the listed medical conditions and that the braces she ordered were medically necessary, despite never examining the patients — for which she was also charged with six counts of making false statements relating to healthcare matters, according to the release.
The charge of making false statements relating to healthcare matters carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine per count, according to the Justice Department.