On behalf of the entire team, here at Allegiant Experts, we hope that you all had a very Merry Christmas! Of course, we know that Christmas wasn’t the only holiday being celebrated this month. We also hope you had a very Happy Hanukkah and Happy Kwanzaa as well. No matter how you celebrate during the holiday season, it’s our sincere wish that you continue to enjoy the time spent with family and friends.
The holidays really are about family, aren’t they? Most often, that’s what makes the holidays so special. Spending time with family is truly a gift in itself. Just before the holiday season got underway, a father and son team of doctors from New Jersey found an entirely new way to spend time together. They will both be doing time in prison thanks to their roles in a scheme to defraud Medicare.
As reported by the District of New Jersey branch of The United States Attorney’s Office, 66 year-old Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Robert Claude McGrath and his 48 year-old chiropractor son, Robert Christopher McGrath were sentenced to prison last week for conspiring to commit health care fraud. The elder Cherry Hill, New Jersey doctor was sentenced to 30 months in prison while his son will serve 12. Both pleaded guilty to their crimes.
As explained by the report, the McGraths were the owners of Atlantic Spine & Joint Institute. The medical practice had offices in Westmont, New Jersey, and Wayne, Pennsylvania. According to Medicare rules, all physical therapy was to be provided by either Robert Claude McGrath or a trained physical therapist under his supervision.
Nevertheless, “from January 2011 through April 2016, the McGraths sought to defraud Medicare by employing unlicensed, untrained persons to give physical therapy to Medicare patients, at times when Robert Claude McGrath was not even in the office to supervise,” says the report, “They then submitted bills to Medicare fraudulently identifying Robert Claude McGrath as the provider of physical therapy.”
The McGraths now not only face prison time but must also endure three years of supervised release. As well, they must pay restitution in the amount of $890,000. The report also points out that in a related civil settlement, the McGraths and Atlantic Spine agreed to pay $1.78 million plus interest to the federal government.
The payment is to “resolve allegations that the fraudulent bills submitted under the McGraths’ scheme caused false claims to be submitted to Medicare in violation of the False Claims Act,” the report informs.
At Allegiant Experts, our team of clinical experts work with attorneys who try cases against perpetrators of health care fraud. Attorneys are experts on legal issues. However, we provide expertise on nursing practice and the health care system. Our experts have been providing expert clinical services for over 15 years and can help your team by bridging the disciples of medicine, coding and billing to ensure accurate payment and data is achieved.
For more information about our clinical expert services, please don’t hesitate to call us at 407-217-5831 or email us at info@allegiantexperts.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
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