Doctor falsifies cancer diagnoses to defraud millions | Medical Error Action Group: "Detroit, MI
An American oncologist faces up to 175 years in prison for a scam in which he reaped millions of dollars by putting patients on chemotherapy drugs they didn’t need, in order to defraud public and private insurers.
Dr Farid FATA, 49, pleaded guilty to 13 counts of healthcare fraud, one count of conspiring to receive kickbacks and one count of money laundering as the owner of a cancer treatment clinic and a diagnostic testing facility.
“Dr FATA… admitted he put greed before the health and safety of his patients, putting them through unnecessary chemotherapy and other treatments just so that he could collect additional millions from MEDICARE,” said US Assistant Attorney- General Leslie CALDWELL.
“The mere thought of what he did is chilling.”
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation said FATA was swiftly arrested after agents were alerted to the scam in mid-2013.
FATA submitted approximately $225 million in claims to MEDICARE – the US federal-funded program in the US that provides health insurance to the disabled and people over 65 – between August 2007 and July 2013.
The claims included about $109 million for chemotherapy and other cancer treatments.
MEDICARE paid the fraudster $91 million, of which over $48 million was for chemotherapy and other cancer treatments.
Employees of FATA’s Michigan Hematology Oncology Clinic (MHO), which had six offices in the Detroit area, gave damning evidence of dangerous prescribing practices."
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