NEWARK, N.J. – Within the virtual pages of Medtrade Monday, Jeff Baird and his colleagues at Brown & Fortunato have described the perils of violating anti-kickback laws. A recent press release from the Department Of Justice shows the real-world consequences in the case of a Georgia chiropractor who owned or operated multiple DME companies and a cancer genetic testing (CGx) company.
According to United States Attorney Vikas Khanna, Tefylon Cameron, 57, of Powder Springs, Georgia, pleaded guilty on June 20, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz in Newark federal court to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and conspiracy to violate the Federal Anti-Kickback statute.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court: Cameron and her conspirators owned, operated, and had a financial interest in DME companies through which they obtained doctors’ orders for durable medical equipment, namely orthotic braces, for Medicare beneficiaries without regard to medical necessity.
Cameron and her conspirators obtained DME orders using marketing call centers and telemedicine companies (including multiple Florida-based companies), caused the submission of false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, and paid illegal kickbacks.
Cameron and her conspirators also owned, operated, and had a financial interest in a CGx company through which she agreed to provide a clinical laboratory with leads of beneficiaries who were qualified to receive federal health care benefits for cancer genetic tests. Cameron submitted invoices to the clinical laboratory seeking payment on a per-lead basis, but entered into a sham agreement to disguise kickback and bribe payments.
In total, Cameron and her conspirators caused a loss to Medicare of more than $14.9 million. Conspiracy to commit health care fraud is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison and conspiracy to violate the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute is punishable by a maximum of five years in prison. Both counts are also punishable by a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 29, 2024.
