A Marion County foot doctor has pleaded guilty to health care fraud by billing for services never provided and sometimes doing little more than clipping toenails.
Federal prosecutors said in a news release Monday that 55-year-old Dr. Michael Rotstein of Ocala faces up to 10 years in prison following his guilty plea. A sentencing date has not been set.
Authorities say Rotstein defrauded Medicare and other health programs by claiming nearly half his procedures involved removal of skin and muscle, placing him in the top 1 percent nationwide for this procedure. In reality, Rotstein mostly did routine foot care including trimming toenails despite false billing for the removal procedure.
Rotstein also must pay as restitution more than $1.5 million in healthcare reimbursements he received through the scheme.
