Physician Pleads Guilty to Administering Unnecessary Chemotherapy in Medicare Scheme

​A Michigan hematologist-oncologist has pleaded guilty to 13 counts of healthcare fraud, 1 count of conspiracy to pay or receive kickbacks, and 2 counts of money laundering for his participation in a scheme that fraudulently billed Medicare and private insurers approximately $225 million for unnecessary chemotherapy treatments, states a September 16, 2014, U.S. Department of Justice news release. According to the news release, the physician admitted to prescribing and administering aggressive chemotherapy, cancer treatments, intravenous iron, and other infusion therapies to patients who did not need them in order to increase his billings to the Medicare program and other insurance companies.