The State Board of Medicine recently announced disciplinary actions against a number of people in the medical profession here in Pennsylvania. The Board regulates not only medical doctors, but also physician assistants, radiology technicians, respiratory therapists and others.
Among those disciplined recently were a doctor in Philadelphia County and a Blair County physician whose medical license was revoked based on “his numerous felony convictions,” the Board noted in a statement.
According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice last year, the Hollidaysburg resident was sentenced in federal court to 84 months in prison. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $2.3 million to Health and Human Services and another $722,476.55 to the IRS.
The 55-year-old was convicted of conspiring to commit an offense against the United States and willfully failing to remit employment taxes. The DOJ said he received kickbacks and bribes to refer patients for lab work that was paid for by the federal programs Medicare and Medicaid.
Investigators said the doctor received $2.3 million in kickbacks from May of 2011 to November of 2013. The owners of a lab that he conspired with were said to have received more than $3.4 million from Medicare and more than $1.1 million from Pennsylvania Medicaid.
Obviously, he has lost his career and his freedom.
Allegations of criminal wrongdoing imperil the licenses of medical professionals. Far too often, doctors under investigation fear they will lose everything if they do not immediately enter into potentially damaging agreements with prosecutors and regulators.
Medical professionals should speak first with an attorney experienced in both criminal defense and license defense.
