Connecticut ophthalmologist pleads guilty in health care fraud scheme

A Connecticut physician pleaded responsible right now in federal court docket in Boston to receiving kickbacks in trade for ordering medically pointless mind scans.

In accordance with a information launch from the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace for the District of Massachusetts, Donald Salzberg, MD, 67, of Avon, Conn., pleaded responsible earlier than U.S. Senior District Courtroom Choose Douglas P. Woodlock to at least one depend of conspiracy to commit well being care fraud and one depend of conspiracy to obtain kickbacks.

The court docket has but to set a date for a sentencing listening to. Salzberg was charged by an Data on Might 23.

Salzberg, who for 36 years has been a licensed ophthalmologist in Connecticut, owned and operated Donald J. Salzberg, MD, an ophthalmology observe in West Hartford, Conn.

In accordance with federal authorities, from 2014 by means of 2019, Salzberg conspired with a principal for a medical diagnostics firm that carried out transcranial doppler (TCD) scans – mind scans that measure blood stream in elements of the mind – to order a whole bunch of medically pointless TCD scans in trade for kickbacks.

Salzberg, whose observe is in West Hartford, Conn., used false affected person diagnoses to order the mind scans and the opposite individual would submit claims to Medicare and different insurance coverage corporations for cost, prosecutors stated.

Salzberg was paid money kickbacks of $100 to $125 for every take a look at that he ordered, in addition to sham administrative companies charges. Greater than $3 million in fraudulent claims have been submitted to Medicare and personal insurance coverage corporations, in keeping with federal authorities.

The U.S. lawyer’s workplace in Boston famous that cost of conspiracy to commit well being care fraud offers for a sentence of as much as 10 years in jail, three years of supervised launch and a effective of as much as $250,000. The cost of conspiracy to violate the anti-kickback statute offers for a sentence of as much as 5 years in jail, three years of supervised launch and a effective of as much as $250,000.

Sentences are imposed by a federal district court docket choose primarily based upon the U.S. Sentencing Tips and statutes which govern the dedication of a sentence in a legal case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel Y. Hemani and Howard Locker of Rollins’ Well being Care Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.