fraud

Adventist Health System has turned itself in for violating federal laws involving doctor referrals, the Orlando Business Journal reports.

The Altamonte Springs-based health care chain told the Department of Justice it violated the federal Stark Law that prohibits physician referrals to hospitals where there is already a financial relationship, according to bondholder documents obtained by the Business Journal.

A Marion County woman accused of defrauding Medicaid said in an affidavit she was caught up in living well and "got greedy," the Ocala Star-Banner reports.

Attorneys for WellCare Health Plans want the company’s convicted executives to pay $365 million in restitution, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

The documents, filed in federal court on April 16, say WellCare’s 2011 Medicaid fraud indictment was the result of the actions of a few company executives, and they should pay the penalty.

A Broward County man who paid HIV patients to help defraud Medicare has entered a plea deal in Tampa’s federal court, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Halifax Health could be on the hook for $116 million to resolve part of a whistleblower lawsuit, the Daytona Beach News Journal reports.

Federal officials are lengthening a temporary moratorium on new home health care agencies in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, and have also included Broward County in the ban. As the Miami Herald reports, the six-month ban that starts today is an attempt to deter Medicare and Medicaid fraud. Federal health officials say Miami-Dade has the highest ratio of home health agencies to Medicare beneficiaries and has the biggest payments.

Ten retired members of the New York City Police and Fire Departments who now call South Florida home are charged with defrauding the Social Security system of tens of thousands of dollars.

The owner of a South Florida clinic has pleaded guilty to defrauding Medicare to the tune of almost $20 million, the Associated Press reports. Isabel Medina could face 10 years in prison for her role in several health schemes.

A Miami Beach doctor will stay in a federal detention center while he awaits trial for Medicare fraud, the Miami Herald reports. Dr. Christopher Gregory Wayne, known for his punk rock style and nicknamed the “Rock Doc” by patients, is charged with a dozen counts of Medicare fraud totaling $230. But the indictment alleges systematic abuse: he’s accused of billing for, on average, 500 physical therapy sessions a day in 2008. 

Dr. Christopher Gregory Wayne, called the “Rock Doc" and known by a signature punk-rock hairstyle, has been charged with 12 counts of Medicare fraud, The Miami Herald reports (paywall alert).

A Pembroke Pines chiropractor who was allowed to keep practicing after pleading guilty in the 1980s to defrauding insurance companies is in trouble again, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. This time, David Hirschenson is accused of illegally chasing down accident victims to offer them medical services.

Federal health officials will enact strict moratoriums on certain types of Medicare and Medicaid providers in the Miami area, Medical Daily reports. The stronger bans start Tuesday, and will affect new home health providers looking to join the programs.

The Florida Department of Health has revoked the license of a 118-bed assisted living facility in Boynton Beach accused of numerous shortcomings, The Palm Beach Post reports.

The facility allegedly lost track of a resident who wandered away, failed to prevent a rape of one resident by another and had an office employee who committed Medicare fraud.

Nearly a decade ago Dr. Alan Freedman of Tampa reported a kickback scheme involving a Venice dermatologist and a Tampa pathology lab; now his payday has come. As the U.S. Department of Justice says in a press release, Freedman’s share of the recovery adds up to $4 million.

The dermatologist, Steven J. Wasserman, settled the case with federal authorities by agreeing to pay more than $26 million.