A Florida man has admitted to his role in a durable medical equipment (DME) kickback scheme. Patrick Fitchner, 51, of Orlando, pleaded guilty August 22 before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in a Trenton, New Jersey federal court to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
Fitchner and his conspirators solicited and received kickbacks and bribes in exchange for providing DME companies with completed doctors’ orders for medically unnecessary DME, such as orthotic braces. Fitchner and his conspirators utilized the service of telemedicine companies to obtain these prescriptions for DME, and the DME orders were subsequently fraudulently billed to Medicare and other healthcare benefit programs.
Fitchner and his conspirators were paid about $2.1 million in kickbacks for these DME orders and caused losses to Medicare and other healthcare benefit programs of at least $3.6 million.
The charge of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for January 9, 2024.
“The defendant admitted that he and his conspirators submitted millions of dollars’ worth of claims to Medicare and other health benefits programs that they knew were procured through the payment of kickbacks and bribes. Their scheme caused Medicare to pay out $3.6 million in fraudulently obtained reimbursements. Protecting our healthcare system from schemers like this is a full-time job, and we will use all the tools at our disposal to do so,” said U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.
“Many scammers who commit healthcare fraud may believe the system is so complex that no one will miss a few thousand dollars here or a few million dollars there,” said James E. Dennehy, FBI special agent in charge of the Newark, New Jersey field office. “The problem with that premise is we are paying attention, and our job as the FBI is to protect the general public from criminals who think they can game the system. Fitchner and his conspirators are now paying for their crimes, and others looking to follow suit should take note.”
