Florida PT clinic owners, physician sentenced for $17M billing fraud

Three Florida physical therapy clinic owners and a physician were among those sentenced May 10 for their roles in a $17 million medical billing fraud scheme. 

Clinics Life Blue Medical Center, Blue Life Medical Center and Miami Medical Therapy recruited and paid kickbacks to beneficiaries of Blue Cross Blue Shield health benefit programs and submitted false claims to the payer, according to a U.S. Justice Department news release. 

More than $17 million in false claims were billed to Blue Cross, according to the news release. The insurer paid close to $5 million of those claims. Most were for  electrical stimulation, ultrasound therapy, therapeutic exercise and other physical therapy procedures, as well as for allergy tests and durable medical equipment. The claims were unneeded or services were never provided. 

Life Blue Medical Center and Blue Life Medical Center owner Jorge Gonzalez Perez, 57, was sentenced to 120 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $4.1 million in restitution. 

Life Blue and Miami Medical physician Orland Levia, MD, 66, was sentenced to 57 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $2.8 million in restitution. 

Miami Medical co-owner David Vladimir Sacerio, 30, was sentenced to 51 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $686,000 in restitution. 

Miami Medical co-owner Kiamy Perez, 36, was sentenced to 36 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $228,000 in restitution.

Three patient recruiters and a physical therapist were also sentenced to prison and ordered to pay restitution for their role in the scheme May 10, according to the Justice Department. In total, 10 people were sentenced for their roles in the fraud. Another patient recruiter and a Miami Medical office employee were ordered to pay restitution.

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