Doctor overseeing covid-19 testing at BWI accused of health-care fraud

Now federal prosecutors say that underneath Elfenbein’s course, clinics billed Medicare and different insurers for coronavirus checks together with “extra profitable, however medically pointless” companies, in keeping with a grand jury indictment. These companies “had been purportedly of a 30-minute or longer length, or involving average or excessive ranges of medical decision-making, however didn’t actually happen as represented,” the indictment stated.

The indictment alleges Elfenbein knew many sufferers had been being seen for lower than 5 minutes however directed staffers to invoice for the higher-level companies anyway, saying they had been “the ‘bread and butter’ of how we receives a commission.”

A lawyer for Elfenbein, Mike Lawlor, disputed these accusations. “Within the early days of the pandemic, Dr. Ron Elfenbein rallied his physician’s workplace in a time of worldwide worry, to be a number one supplier of coronavirus testing and therapy locally” Lawlor stated in an electronic mail. “ … A trial on this case will show not solely that Dr. Elfenbein is harmless of the costs rapidly introduced by the federal government, however that in a time of unprecedented want, Dr. Elfenbein and his workers saved the lives of quite a few Marylanders.”

The indictment, which expenses Elfenbein with three counts of health-care fraud, identifies him as an proprietor and medical director of Drs ERgent Care, an organization that additionally does enterprise underneath the names First Name Medical Middle and Chesapeake ERgent Care.

Drs ERgent Care was began in 2015 and listed as its “principal workplace” the house tackle of Maryland Del. Sid A. Saab (R-Anne-Arundel), who was listed as registered agent, company information present. The following 12 months, the tackle modified and Elfenbein grew to become registered agent.

Saab, who attended the ribbon chopping at BWI, in January listed himself in a compulsory monetary disclosure as half proprietor of Gambrills Medical Administration, which, in keeping with the disclosure, manages First Name Medical Middle Gambrills. The latter firm operates the BWI clinic, in keeping with information maintained by the Maryland Board of Public Works. The clinic, inside the principle terminal close to Concourse C, presents emergency care, coronavirus testing and vaccinations, in addition to different companies.

A LinkedIn web page for Saab, a state delegate since 2015, lists him as co-owner of a health middle, president of an actual property firm, and chief government of a agency concerned in “valuable steel recycling” tied to the identical Gambrills tackle as First Name Medical Middle. Dan Hazelwood, a spokesman for Saab’s political marketing campaign, stated Saab had no remark.

A job itemizing in the course of the previous 12 months related to First Name Medical Middle for somebody to oversee a middle providing monoclonal antibody infusions, a covid-19 therapy, stated the place would report back to Saab and Elfenbein.

A member of the Home Well being and Authorities Operations Committee, Saab lately filed to run for state senate. He stated within the monetary disclosure: “First Name Medical Middle had a contract with the Division of Well being associated to coronavirus testing and therapy.”

He holds between 25 and 49 p.c of Gambrills Medical Administration, in keeping with his disclosure. “Neither Gambrills Medical Administration nor First Name acquired any funds from the State. I didn’t take part in any negotiations with the State,” the disclosure stated.

Connor Ferguson, whose LinkedIn web page lists him as managing accomplice of First Name Medical Middle, cautioned a reporter when reached by cellphone Friday: “Simply be very cautious — as a result of it’s an impartial firm, with Dr. Elfenbein — in implicating First Name, in order that’s all I’ll say. As a result of he operates knowledgeable company underneath Drs ERgent Care.”

Requested if he may make clear what he meant, he replied, “Nope. Bye.”

Nobody at Drs ERgent Care or the associated firms, aside from Elfenbein, has been charged or accused of any crime.

Elfenbein graduated from SUNY Upstate Medical College’s Faculty of Drugs in New York in 2000. He ran unsuccessfully for Basic Meeting in 2006 and 2010, and sought to fill a vacated seat in 2015.

Earlier than the pandemic, First Name Medical Middle had about 20 staff at one location, in keeping with an article Elfenbein was interviewed for in Upstate Medical College’s alumni journal. As of October, the corporate had about 200 staff at two pressing care facilities, three coronavirus testing facilities, two monoclonal antibody infusion facilities and a coming cell testing unit, the article stated.

“Covid-19 has impacted everyone,” Elfenbein instructed the journal. “We had been capable of be forward-thinking to supply wanted public well being companies. Within the course of, that allowed us to develop as a enterprise and supply about 180 new jobs, which is a good factor.”

After opening the primary monoclonal antibody infusion website, the article stated, the corporate was approached by federal and Maryland well being officers to run a second monoclonal website and rapid-testing middle exterior FedEx Discipline subsequent to a state-run PCR testing facility. “As of October, we had been receiving 15 p.c of the state allocation of monoclonal antibodies,” Elfenbein instructed the journal.

In saying Elfenbein’s indictment, the Maryland U.S. legal professional’s workplace stated he was amongst 18 individuals throughout the USA indicted in alleged fraud schemes that resulted in over $149 million in covid-related false billings to federal applications and theft from help applications.

“It’s unconscionable that this defendant sought to line his personal pockets throughout a world pandemic by grossly overbilling Medicare and different insurers for these important well being care companies throughout a time of nationwide disaster,” FBI Particular Agent in Cost Thomas J. Sobocinski stated in a information launch. “If the allegations towards Dr. Elfenbein, and the 17 others that had been charged at the moment are confirmed, they need to be ashamed of their conduct and can be held accountable for his or her felony actions.”

If convicted, Elfenbein would face a most of 10 years in federal jail for every of the three counts. The indictment says he was “aided and abetted by … others identified and unknown to the Grand Jury,” but it surely didn’t title any of them.