Ravi Murali, MD, 39, faced a 12-count indictment for his role in the healthcare fraud scheme. He pleaded guilty to one of the 12 charges March 31.
According to prosecutors, Dr. Murali ordered medical braces for Medicare beneficiaries regardless of medical necessity when he was working for various telemedicine companies. In particular, Dr. Murali signed orders for medical braces for Medicare beneficiaries indicating that he spoke with the beneficiary, established a relationship with them and conducted examinations. However, prosecutors said these statements were rarely true.
As a result of the scheme, that took place from January 2017 to January 2020, Dr. Murali falsely billed Medicare $26 million. Medicare ended up paying $13 million, and Dr. Murali was paid about $30 for each telemedicine consult.
Dr. Murali’s sentencing is scheduled for August. He faces up to 10 years in prison.
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