Becker's has reported on five physicians charged with fraud charges since Feb. 3:
1. Harvey Jenkins, a former physician based in Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty to running a "pill mill" and fraud charges. From January 2010 to February 2015, Mr. Jenkins allegedly prescribed large volumes of opioids and other narcotics. He saw 85 to 90 patients a day, and staffers used pre-signed prescription pads to prescribe the medicine, the Justice Department said.
2. Sangita Patel, MD, was indicted by a grand jury for allegedly defrauding Medicare. Dr. Patel is accused of submitting $1 million in false Medicare claims for telehealth care she did not provide. She allegedly received $448,000 for these claims.
3. Hudson, Ohio-based physician Deepak Raheja, MD, was sentenced to prison and must pay $2.2 million after pleading guilty to his role in a pharmaceutical kickback scheme. Between February 2011 and July 2016, Dr. Raheja and his co-conspirators increased prescriptions for Nuedexta, a drug manufactured to treat the neurological condition pseudobulbar affect, in exchange for money and other items of value.
4. Pankaj Merchia, MD, and Shona Pendse, MD, were charged in a superseding indictment for tax evasion and fraud against the Internal Revenue Service. Dr. Merchia and Dr. Pendse, both based in Brookline, Mass., were charged with two counts of tax evasion and one count of conspiracy each to defraud the IRS.
5. Twenty-three Michigan residents, including physicians, have been charged for their alleged involvement in two schemes to defraud Medicare of more than $61.5 million by paying kickbacks and billing CMS for unnecessary medical services at physician clinics that were not provided.