BOSTON – A Canton orthopedic surgeon has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for his function in a well being care fraud scheme.
Dr. Olarewaju James Oladipo, 57, of Canton, was indicted on 11 counts of well being care fraud. Oladipo was arrested this morning and can make his preliminary look earlier than U.S. District Court docket Justice of the Peace Choose Marianne B. Bowler at present at 2 p.m. in federal courtroom in Boston.
In accordance with the indictment, from roughly January 2016 by means of December 2019, Oladipo devised and executed a scheme to defraud well being care profit applications by falsely billing for affected person visits. Particularly, it’s alleged that Oladipo used billing codes for extra complicated—and thus costlier—providers that weren’t supplied (a follow that’s generally known as “upcoding”). Oladipo allegedly falsified medical data of affected person visits to mirror examinations and providers that weren’t carried out. Through the four-year interval, it’s alleged that Oladipo often billed for greater than 60 sufferers per day and generally greater than 90 sufferers per day. The outcome was that many, if not most, of Oladipo’s affected person visits on such days may have solely lasted 5 minutes or much less. Nonetheless, Oladipo allegedly used billing codes that usually corresponded to visits of 15, 25, 30, and even 45 minutes. It’s additional alleged that Oladipo ensured this excessive move of sufferers to his follow by prescribing highly effective, extremely addictive opioids at a fee that made him one of many prime prescribers of such medicine in Massachusetts.
Members of the general public who consider they might be a sufferer of this crime ought to contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.
The cost of well being care fraud and conspiracy to commit well being care fraud supplies for a sentence of as much as 10 years in jail, one yr of supervised launch and a effective of as much as $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district courtroom choose based mostly upon the U.S. Sentencing Tips and statutes which govern the dedication of a sentence in a felony case.
United States Legal professional Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Particular Agent in Cost of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Phillip M. Coyne, Particular Agent in Cost of the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Companies, Workplace of the Inspector Common, Workplace of Investigations; and Matthew Modafferi, Particular Agent in Cost of the USA Postal Service, Workplace of Inspector Common, Northeast Space Workplace made the announcement at present. Precious help was supplied by the Massachusetts Legal professional Common’s Workplace; the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau; and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Evan D. Panich and William B. Brady are prosecuting the case.
The main points contained within the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed harmless until and till confirmed responsible past an inexpensive doubt in a courtroom of regulation.