A Detroit-area doctor, Hicham Elhorr, has been charged in
federal court for his alleged leading role in a $40 million Medicare fraud
scheme.
Dr. Elhorr was the owner and operator of House Calls
Physicians (HCP), a physician home visiting service. Elhorr allegedly submitted claims through HCP
for physician home visits for patients that were never seen or visits conducted
by doctors who were not licensed. The
complaint further alleges that Elhorr submitted claims to Medicare when he was
out of the country, when beneficiaries were hospitalized, or even when the
beneficiary was dead.
Additionally, Elhorr is charged with accepting kickbacks from home health agencies in exchange for referring patients to those agencies. According to court documents, HCP has billed Medicare for approximately $9.2 million since January 2008. In that same time period, the company has allegedly referred Medicare beneficiaries for home health services that resulted in approximately $30.8 million of reimbursements from Medicare.
Of course, these charges mean that Dr. Elhorr is suspected
of committing these crimes but is considered innocent until proven guilty
beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Medicare and Medicaid fraud are serious offenses that are
harshly prosecuted and carry severe penalties and jail time. Having quality legal advice is imperative
when defending against such allegations.
The experienced fraud team at Fausone Bohn, LLP – Mark
Mandell, Tariq Hafeez, and Breeda O’Leary – can provide a top-notch legal
defense for those involved in a government investigation or prosecution. The team can also provide counsel for
“whistleblowers” looking to expose the fraud of their employers (or
ex-employers). Whistleblowers may be
eligible to receive money from a settlement or verdict and this knowledgeable
team has the expertise to obtain these positive results.
To learn more or read the original article, please visit:
http://www.examiner.com/article/michigan-doctor-charged-40m-medicare-fraud-scheme
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