Florida telemedicine executive sentenced after fraudulent Medicare claims exceeded $46 million.
A Florida telemedicine company owner has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after admitting to a scheme that caused more than $46 million in false Medicare claims over a period of more than six years. The case involved payments to doctors for approving medical orders, telemarketing campaigns directed at Medicare patients, and claims for braces and genetic tests that patients often did not need. Christopher Harwood, 44, of Fort Lauderdale, owned and ran TelevisitMD, a telemedicine company that connected patients with doctors through remote services. Court records show that Harwood and others involved in the scheme used aggressive phone marketing to persuade Medicare patients to accept orthopedic braces and genetic testing. These services were then tied to medical orders that were used to seek payment from the federal health program.
According to prosecutors, Harwood paid doctors to approve orders for braces and genetic tests without following Medicare’s rules for remote medical visits. The doctors often lacked a real medical relationship with the patients and sometimes signed orders without having meaningful contact with them. The orders were then sold to medical equipment suppliers, laboratories, and marketing companies involved in the scheme. Harwood also owned several medical equipment supply companies in Florida. Those companies submitted claims to Medicare for braces, including equipment that patients did not want or did not need. Through this setup, the government said, false claims were sent to Medicare on a large scale.
The scheme led to about $46.2 million in claims that the government said were false or fraudulent. Medicare paid approximately $17.9 million based on those claims. Harwood personally gained more than $10.4 million from the operation, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). In addition to the 20-year prison term, Harwood was ordered to repay $17,942,402 to Medicare. He was also ordered to forfeit $10,431,463 tied to the proceeds of the scheme. These financial penalties are separate from the prison sentence and are intended to recover money connected to the wrongdoing.
Federal officials said the case forms part of a broader effort to stop fraud involving government health programs. The DOJ’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program has operated since 2007 and includes nine strike forces working in federal districts across the U.S. Since the program began, authorities have charged more than 6,200 defendants accused of schemes involving more than $45 billion in claims to federal health programs and private insurers.
The DOJ also pointed to efforts by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and federal health oversight officials to identify questionable billing and hold providers accountable when they take part in alleged fraud schemes. These agencies work to ensure that Medicare and other public health programs pay only for services that meet program rules and have proper support. Their work may include reviewing billing records, examining medical orders, checking whether services were provided as claimed, and taking action when payments appear improper. Federal officials continue to pursue cases involving false claims, medical orders that lack proper support, and efforts to profit from Medicare payments. Such cases can lead to criminal charges, demands to repay funds, financial penalties, or other action, depending on the evidence and the laws involved.
Sources:
Telemedicine Company Owner Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for $46M Medicare Fraud Scheme
Fort Lauderdale telemedicine company owner gets 20 years in $46M Medicare fraud scheme
Join the conversation!