Orthopedic surgeon indicted in $10M telemedicine fraud scheme

Orthopedic

Elemer Raffai, MD, was indicted in connection with a $10 million scheme to defraud Medicare, the Justice Department said April 21.

Five things to know:

1. Dr. Raffai allegedly purported to practice with AffordADoc Network and other telemedicine companies that paid him for each consultation with a beneficiary, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office Eastern District of New York.

2. Between July 2016 and June 2017, he allegedly signed prescriptions and order forms for services that were not medically necessary.

3. The submissions for the alleged claims were based solely on short phone calls for beneficiaries he had not evaluated. Dr. Raffai allegedly was paid $25 or $30 per patient consultation.

4. He and others involved in the scheme submitted about $10 million in false claims, and Medicare paid more than $4 million on them, according to the Justice Department.

5. Dr. Raffai faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty.

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