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Atlanta-based Indian-American CEO among 35 charged in $2.1 billion Medicare scam

NRI Pulse Staff Report

Atlanta, GA, October 2, 2019: The Indian-American CEO of Atlanta based LabSolutions was among 35 charged across four states for their alleged participation in what authorities claim is one of the largest health care fraud schemes ever.

The 35 defendants are associated with dozens of telemedicine companies and cancer genetic testing laboratories (CGx). According to the charges, these defendants fraudulently billed Medicare more than $2.1 billion for these CGx tests.  Among those charged are 10 medical professionals, including nine doctors, said a press release issued by the Department of Justice (DoJ) recently.

Minal Patel, 40, CEO of Atlanta based Lab Solutions, was charged for his role in an alleged scheme to solicit medically unnecessary CGx tests from Medicare beneficiaries through telemarketing and “health fairs.”  The tests were then approved by telemedicine doctors who allegedly did not engage in treatment of the beneficiaries, and often did not even speak with the beneficiaries for whom they ordered tests. 

Patel then allegedly paid the telemarketers illegal kickbacks and bribes in exchange for the doctor’s orders and medically unnecessary tests.  LabSolutions billed Medicare for more than $494 million.  In addition, the government seized approximately $30 million in bank accounts from Patel, as well as luxury vehicles, including a Ferrari and a Range Rover.

The case is being prosecuted by trial attorneys Tim Loper and James Hayes.

The Department of Justice, Criminal Division, together with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and FBI spearheaded the investigation and prosecution that resulted in charges against CEOs, CFOs and others.

In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Center for Program Integrity (CMS/CPI), announced that it took adverse administrative action against cancer genetic testing companies and medical professionals who submitted more than $1.7 billion in claims to the Medicare program.

The coordinated federal investigation targeted an alleged scheme involving the payment of illegal kickbacks and bribes by CGx laboratories in exchange for the referral of Medicare beneficiaries by medical professionals working with fraudulent telemedicine companies for expensive cancer genetic tests that were medically unnecessary.

Often, the test results were not provided to the beneficiaries or were worthless to their actual doctors.  Some of the defendants allegedly controlled a telemarketing network that lured hundreds of thousands of elderly and/or disabled patients into a criminal scheme that affected victims nationwide.  The defendants allegedly paid doctors to prescribe CGx testing, either without any patient interaction or with only a brief telephonic conversation with patients they had never met or seen. 

“These defendants allegedly duped Medicare beneficiaries into signing up for unnecessary genetic tests, costing Medicare billions of dollars,” Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.  “Together with our law enforcement partners, the Department will continue to protect the public fisc and prosecute those who steal our taxpayer dollars.”

“The scope and sophistication of the health care fraud detected in Operation Double Helix and the related Operation Brace Yourself is nearly unprecedented.  But the citizens of the Southern District of Georgia should know that we put together an unprecedented response,” said U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine of the Southern District of Georgia.  “Our office charged more defendants, responsible for more health care fraud losses, than ever before in this office’s history. While these charges might be some of the first, they won’t be the last.” 

“The defendants allegedly targeted elderly, disabled and other vulnerable consumers, luring them into this fraudulent scheme that affected victims nationwide and generated losses in excess of one billion dollars which spanned multiple jurisdictions,”  said U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser for the Eastern District of Louisiana.  “Schemes such as these have a profound effect on our nation, not only by the monies lost in the scheme, but also by stoking public distrust in some medical institutions.  It is imperative to preserve taxpayer confidence whenever and wherever possible.  Our office, along with our investigative partners, reminds seniors and their caregivers to be vigilant for fraudulent schemes.  If you are aware of or believe you are the victim of a health care fraud scheme, please contact law enforcement.”

“The defendants are alleged to have capitalized on the fears of elderly Americans in order to induce them to sign up for unnecessary or non-existent cancer screening tests,” said U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan of the Southern District of Florida.   “The genetic testing fraud schemes put personal greed above the preservation of the American health care system.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Florida, alongside our law enforcement and USAO partners, remains committed to protecting taxpayer dollars and the Medicare program from abuse.”

“We are honored to work every day alongside our law enforcement partners to stop the exploitation of vulnerable patients and misuse of taxpayer dollars,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “In order to prevent additional financial losses, CMS has taken swift action to protect the Medicare Trust Funds from the providers who allegedly have fraudulently billed over $1.7 billion. CMS continues to use a comprehensive and aggressive program integrity approach that includes fraud prevention, claims review, beneficiary education, and targeting high-risk areas of the federal healthcare programs with new tools and innovative demonstrations.”   

“Healthcare fraud and related illegal kickbacks and bribes impact the entire nation,” said Assistant Director Terry Wade of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division.  “Fraudulently using genetic testing laboratories for unnecessary tests erodes the confidence of patients and costs taxpayers millions of dollars.  These investigations revealed some medical professionals placing their greed before the needs of the patients and communities they serve.  Today’s law enforcement actions reinforce that the FBI, along with its partners, will continue to pursue and stop this type of illegal activity.”

“Unfortunately, audacious schemes such as those alleged in the indictments are pervasive and exploit the promise of new medical technologies such as genetic testing and telemedicine for financial gain, not patient care,” said Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Gary L. Cantrell of HHS-OIG.  “Instead of receiving quality care, Medicare beneficiaries may be victimized in the form of scare tactics, identity theft, and in some cases, left to pay out of pocket.  We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to investigate those who steal from federal healthcare programs and protect the millions of Americans who rely on them.”

The DoJ announcement is a culmination of coordinated law enforcement activities over the past month that were led by the Criminal Division’s Health Care Fraud Unit, resulting in charges against over 380 individuals who allegedly billed federal health care programs for more than $3 billion and allegedly prescribed/dispensed approximately 50 million controlled substance pills in Houston, across Texas, the West Coast, the Gulf Coast, the Northeast, Florida and Georgia, and the Midwest.  These include charges against 105 defendants for opioid-related offenses, and charges against 178 medical professionals. 

The enforcement actions were led and coordinated by the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section in conjunction with its Medicare Fraud Strike Force (MFSF), as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of Florida, Middle District of Florida, Southern District of Georgia, Eastern District of Louisiana, and Middle District of Louisiana. 

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