A Whitefish, Mont., physician pleaded guilty to participating in a $39 million Medicare fraud scheme.
From January 2022 to July 2023, Ronald Dean, MD, signed prescriptions for durable medical equipment and COVID-19 tests for patients who did not need them. Two telemedicine companies would then bill Medicare for the costs and Dr. Dean would receive kickbacks, according to court documents.
The scheme resulted in billing Medicare, the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Railroad Retirement Board $39.6 million in fraudulent claims.
Dr. Dean agreed in a plea deal to help the government continue its fraud investigation and will have to pay back around $780,500 in restitution to the Medicare program and two other federal programs.