Mr. Grana managed the day-to-day operations of Careplus, a medical clinic in Livonia, Mich., and pleaded guilty to paying patient recruiters for Medicare beneficiary referrals. Specifically, he admitted to paying the recruiters between $100 and $150 per patient referral and instructing the recruiters to pay patients $50 from that amount. According to court documents, nearly all patients treated at Careplus were secured through kickbacks.
Mr. Grana also admitted recruited patients underwent medically unnecessary examinations and diagnostic tests after they were instructed by the recruiters to fake certain symptoms.
Mr. Grana and his associates submitted approximately $2.2 million in claims to Medicare from Feb. 2008 and Oct. 2009. Medicare paid approximately $2 million of those claims. He was also ordered to pay $2 million in restitution.
Read the Department of Justice’s news release about Mr. Carlos Grana’s sentence.
Read other coverage about healthcare fraud in Michigan:
– Michigan Physician Pleads Guilty to Fraud
– Michigan Clinic Owner and Vice President Found Guilty of Medicare Fraud
