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Texas Doctor Sentenced to 11 Years for Power Wheelchair Scheme
Jun 26, 2006 3:01 PM
HOUSTON--A Texas physician has been sentenced to 11 years in prison and must pay $14 million in restitution for his role in a power wheelchair scam that led to the creation of Operation Wheeler Dealer, a massive crackdown on Medicare fraud and abuse.
Dr. Anant Mauskar, 73, was convicted in November on 20 counts of health care fraud and one count of conspiracy (see HomeCare Monday, Nov. 21, 2005).
During the trial, prosecutors said that from 2001 to 2003, Mauskar submitted false claims for Medicare beneficiaries unlawfully referred to him for power wheelchairs. Several beneficiaries testified that Mauskar did not examine them and that tests were performed before they even saw the physician. In the scheme, Mauskar billed Medicare for more than $13 million and was paid $1.6 million.
Prosecutors also said Mauskar signed forms falsely claiming he personally evaluated and supervised physical therapy and evaluation services in 1999 and 2000. He received payments of $500 a month for signing patient charts so owners of physical therapy clinics who participated in the scheme could bill Medicare and Medicaid.
After the fraud scheme came to light in September 2003, CMS and HHS' Office of Inspector General announced Operation Wheeler Dealer, a 10-point initiative aimed at curbing fraud and abuse of the Medicare power wheelchair benefit. The federal campaign included aggressive scrutiny of power wheelchair claims, particularly in the Houston area.
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