Friday, February 11, 2022

Free Cosmetic Surgery Offered In Massive Health Fraud Scheme

From ABC News:

The former executive director of a surgical center who helped her physician husband bilk insurance companies of $44 million for cosmetic procedures billed as “medically necessary” has pleaded guilty to health care fraud... For someone looking to trim some belly flab, downsize their nose or pump up their breasts, the deal was almost too good to turn down. Patients were promised free liposuction, nose jobs, breast augmentation and vaginal rejuvenation for free if they helped fudge the paperwork by signing 'testimonial' letters or declarations with false statements. Tummy tucks were listed on paperwork as hernia repair or abdominal reconstruction. Nose jobs were recorded as correcting a deviated septum. Breast jobs were supposedly to fix a 'tuberous breast deformity.' Linda Morrow admitted she coached employees to draft false documents, prosecutors said. Other documents were altered to cover up the true purpose of the surgery, according to court documents.