(Image source from: Indian-American couple involved in USD 4.3 million healthcare fraud})

An Indian-American couple admitted falsifying thousands of reports and becoming a part of healthcare fraud scheme of USD 4.3 million. The couple, Nita Patel and Kirtish Patel, both 53, owned a mobile diagnostic company. They are of New Jersey. They pleaded guilty before US District Judge William Walls to separate informations charning them each with a healthcare fraud count.

They both admitted having received over USD 4.3 million from insurance companies for the purpose of diagnostics and reports, which were not interpreted by a licensed physician, said US Attorney Paul Fishman.

Kirtish accepted the fraudulent interpretation and writing of diagnostic reports by his company from October 2008 till June 2014, without any medical license and knowing that referring physicians would use the reports to take crucial patient treatment decisions.

Nita admitted that she assisted her husband in forging physician signatures on all those fraudulent reports, to give them a legitimate appearance. Both have admitted of false representation to Medicare, the federal insurance program, regarding the supervision of the neurological testing by a licensed neurologist.

Over 50% of the diagnostic reports produced by the company have not been reviewed or interpreted by a physician.

Medicare and private insurance companies paid over USD 4.3 million for the fraudulent reports. The amount is used by them for personal expenses, including luxury vehicles as well as multiple residences.

The charge carries a maximum of 10-year potential penalty as well as a USD 250,000 fine.

-Sumana