Podiatrist Accused of Billing Amputees
36 minutes ago
AUGUSTA, Ga. - A podiatrist has been indicted for allegedly defrauding Medicare by submitting more than $400,000 in false claims, some for treating patients who don't even have feet.
A federal grand jury issued the indictment last week accusing Dr. Russell J. Ellicott, a licensed podiatrist since 1986, of Medicare fraud and 21 counts of making false statements relating to health care matters.
Ellicott, who saw patients at his Augusta office and at nursing homes in east Georgia and nearby areas in South Carolina, allegedly schemed to defraud Medicare from January 1997 through June 2002, according to the indictment.
Documents accused Ellicott of submitting false claims for treatment of patients who had died and patients whose feet had been amputated, including one who had been an amputee for nine years. He also is accused of submitting bills for trimming patients' toenails — a service not covered by Medicare.
If convicted, Ellicott could face up to 15 years in prison. Federal prosecutors also seek to recover funds they say he was not entitled to collect.
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Information from: The Augusta Chronicle, http://www.augustachronicle.com
36 minutes ago
AUGUSTA, Ga. - A podiatrist has been indicted for allegedly defrauding Medicare by submitting more than $400,000 in false claims, some for treating patients who don't even have feet.
A federal grand jury issued the indictment last week accusing Dr. Russell J. Ellicott, a licensed podiatrist since 1986, of Medicare fraud and 21 counts of making false statements relating to health care matters.
Ellicott, who saw patients at his Augusta office and at nursing homes in east Georgia and nearby areas in South Carolina, allegedly schemed to defraud Medicare from January 1997 through June 2002, according to the indictment.
Documents accused Ellicott of submitting false claims for treatment of patients who had died and patients whose feet had been amputated, including one who had been an amputee for nine years. He also is accused of submitting bills for trimming patients' toenails — a service not covered by Medicare.
If convicted, Ellicott could face up to 15 years in prison. Federal prosecutors also seek to recover funds they say he was not entitled to collect.
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Information from: The Augusta Chronicle, http://www.augustachronicle.com
OH MY!