An East Baton Rouge physician has admitted doctoring up more than $1.3 million worth of bogus Medicare claims as part of a fraud scheme aimed at acquiring knee braces.
Federal prosecutors say Robert Kyle Dean, a veteran family medicine specialist who once practiced out of a clinic in Central, falsified medical orders for the knee braces, claiming he had examined and performed tests on patients he'd never actually met face-to-face. He pleaded guilty to two felony counts of health care fraud during a hearing last week.
Dean faces up to 10 years in federal prison. He could also be fined up to $50,000, have over $100,000 seized by federal authorities, and may have to spend up to three years on parole after he’s released from prison. U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson let him remain free, under set conditions, until his sentencing March 16.
Dean served more than 20 years as a Medicare provider, according to his indictment. Between 2017 and 2019, he contracted for purported telemedicine companies that paid him $30 every time he okayed a patient’s medical paperwork for orthotic devices known as “durable medical equipment,” or DMEs. The equipment included back, shoulder and wrist braces but Dean primarily handled requests for knee braces.
Prosecutors said he electronically approved orders for the braces, and authorized letters declaring them a medical necessity. He also falsified the orders by indicating he consulted with the Medicare patients, conducted exams and performed tests...
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