The scheme was simple enough. The labs would pay Dr. Eduardo Canova, Dr. Jose Maldonado and nurse practitioner Keith Wichinski. Then the medical professionals would order an unneeded laboratory test from one of the labs. Later, they'd bill the cost of the test to Medicare and other federal healthcare programs...
The scheme was simple enough.
Founders of Unified Laboratory Services, Spectrum Diagnostic Laboratory and a slew of other medical testing companies in North Texas used this process to pull in more than $300 million from federal healthcare programs by billing for fraudulent tests.Dr. Maldonado collected more than $400,000 in kickbacks for billing over $4 million worth of lab tests, and Dr. Canova got $300,000 for more than $12 million in fraudulent tests.
“Anti-kickback laws are designed to ensure that financial considerations do not cloud physicians’ judgement,” U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham said in the statement."The Justice Department is determined to prosecute those flouting our nation’s healthcare fraud laws. Patients – and taxpayers – deserve rigorous enforcement."
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