A Columbus, Ohio, internist has pleaded guilty to filing false claims to Medicare, Medicaid and other private insurers as well as filing false income tax returns, according to an NBC4 news report.
Rajiv Yakhmi, MD, contracted with billing service company DosHealth, which submitted claims for Dr. Yakhmi between Oct. 2005 and Nov. 2007. DosHealth used information provided by Dr. Yakhmi to submit the claims. Dr. Yakhmi admitted to knowingly causing or filing fraudulent claims for patient office visits and medical services that were wrongfully coded, medically unnecessary or never rendered to patients. More than $590,000 in false claims were filed as a result of his fraudulent activity.
Additionally, Dr. Yakhmi admitted to accepting only cash and refusing health insurance on Wednesdays for part of 2006 and 2007 and failing to report the cash as income on his federal income tax returns. In late 2007, Dr. Yakhmi terminated all payor contracts and began accepting only cash, a majority of which was never reported to the IRS on federal income tax returns. In total, he failed to report approximately $800,000 to the IRS. Another $1 million was found stashed away in two safes located inside his home, according to the report.
Dr. Yakhmi also opened a checking account under the name "Spyder Medical," which he used to regularly write checks to from his business checking account. He carried out the scheme to make it appear as if he had bought medical equipment from "Spyder Medical," resulting in a fraudulent expense of $108,000 on his 2006 federal income tax return.
Read the news report about Dr. Rajiv Yakhmi guilty plea.
Read other coverage about physician fraud:
- 10 Recent Healthcare Fraud Cases Involving Physicians
- Iowa Internist Relinquishes License After Pleading Guilty to Medicaid Fraud
- New York Podiatrist Pleads Guilty to Medicare Fraud
Rajiv Yakhmi, MD, contracted with billing service company DosHealth, which submitted claims for Dr. Yakhmi between Oct. 2005 and Nov. 2007. DosHealth used information provided by Dr. Yakhmi to submit the claims. Dr. Yakhmi admitted to knowingly causing or filing fraudulent claims for patient office visits and medical services that were wrongfully coded, medically unnecessary or never rendered to patients. More than $590,000 in false claims were filed as a result of his fraudulent activity.
Additionally, Dr. Yakhmi admitted to accepting only cash and refusing health insurance on Wednesdays for part of 2006 and 2007 and failing to report the cash as income on his federal income tax returns. In late 2007, Dr. Yakhmi terminated all payor contracts and began accepting only cash, a majority of which was never reported to the IRS on federal income tax returns. In total, he failed to report approximately $800,000 to the IRS. Another $1 million was found stashed away in two safes located inside his home, according to the report.
Dr. Yakhmi also opened a checking account under the name "Spyder Medical," which he used to regularly write checks to from his business checking account. He carried out the scheme to make it appear as if he had bought medical equipment from "Spyder Medical," resulting in a fraudulent expense of $108,000 on his 2006 federal income tax return.
Read the news report about Dr. Rajiv Yakhmi guilty plea.
Read other coverage about physician fraud:
- 10 Recent Healthcare Fraud Cases Involving Physicians
- Iowa Internist Relinquishes License After Pleading Guilty to Medicaid Fraud
- New York Podiatrist Pleads Guilty to Medicare Fraud