Doctor faces fraud charge
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A New Orleans federal grand jury charged a St. Helena Parish physician Thursday with a single count of health-care fraud in connection with a scam that netted a Washington Parish medical supplier more than $809,000 in bogus Medicare claims, prosecutors said.
Dr. Robert L. Cleveland, 62, of Greensburg, signed off on false Medicare claims for powered wheelchairs through a medical supplier in Franklinton, prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Orleans said in a statement Thursday.
Cleveland has offices in Greensburg, Independence and Franklinton, prosecutors said.
The grand jury also indicted Jeffrey McElveen, 41, of Franklinton, and the medical supplier he owned, Positive Home Oxygen LLC, with single counts of health-care fraud, prosecutors said.
In exchange for signing off on the bogus claims for K0011 power wheelchairs at $7,160 each, Cleveland’s practice received patient references from McElveen and Positive Home Oxygen, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors are also seeking to force Cleveland, McElveen and Positive Home Oxygen to forfeit proceeds from the alleged fraud, an unsigned grand jury indictment says.
For Positive Home Oxygen to receive Medicare reimbursement, it had to have certification that the chairs were medically necessary, the indictment says.
Medicare conditions included that recipients have serious, long-term medical or physical conditions, are unable to walk and have severe weakness of the upper extremities.
If convicted, Cleveland and McElveen face up to 10 years in prison, $250,000 fines and three years of supervised release, prosecutors said.
Positive Home Oxygen, for which state corporation records list only McElveen as a principal, could be fined up to $500,000.
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