A man in Florida is pleading guilty to defrauding Medicare out of tens of millions of dollars in a ‘Doctor Chase’ scheme.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) says 38-year-old Sean Alterman has admitted to running a healthcare fraud scheme that involved fraudulent claims made to Medicare.
Authorities say that Alterman, who owned and operated two healthcare labs, used his companies to purchase orders for expensive genetic testing from patient recruiters who used deceptive tactics to persuade patients to take the tests – all while billing Medicare.
To help his scheme, Alterman employed a tactic known as ‘doctor chasing,’ or sending doctors misleading requests designed to trick them into signing off on the tests.
Using this method, Alterman used his two companies to receive $36 million worth of medical claims from Medicare, claiming $5.5 million as his own through shell corporations.
Authorities say that he used some of the funds to purchase luxury items, such as a large home and a Rolls-Royce, both of which have been forfeited.
Alterman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and conspiracy to offer and pay kickbacks and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 16th. He faces up to 15 years behind bars.
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