An Arnold, Maryland physician was convicted Friday for a fraud scheme by which his staff had been directed to invoice for high-level medical visits together with COVID-19 assessments, the Justice Department introduced.
Through the scheme, Ron Elfenbein, 49, defrauded Medicare and different insurers of over $15 million. Elfenbein was the proprietor of Drs ERgent Care, which did enterprise as First Call Medical Center and Chesapeake ERgent Care.
Drs ERgent Care ran drive-thru COVID-19 testing websites in Prince George’s and Anne Arundel Counties in Maryland, serving primarily asymptomatic individuals who wished to make certain of their COVID-19 standing in addition to these required to check for journey or work.
As a part of that work, Elfenbein defined to his staff that sufferers had been “there for one reason only – to be tested,” and that Drs ERgent Care was “not there to solve complex medical issues,” as quoted by the Justice Department.
However, Elfenbein additionally instructed staff to tack on well being administration and analysis visits with increased billing codes, regardless of explicitly not offering these providers on the drive-thru COVID-19 testing websites.
Elfenbein was convicted on 5 counts of healthcare fraud, and faces as much as 10 years in jail on every rely when he’s sentenced on Nov. 7, 2023.
Elfenbein can be the primary physician convicted by the Justice Department at trial for fraudulent billing concerning visits for COVID-19 testing.
Content Source: www.washingtontimes.com