Two physicians from the St. Louis area have pleaded guilty to federal charges involving healthcare fraud and the illegal distribution of controlled substances.

Dr. Asim Muhammad Ali, 54, entered a guilty plea on Thursday to one count of conspiracy to illegally distribute controlled substances and to maintain a drug-involved premises. Dr. Mohd Azfar Malik, 71, pleaded guilty in April to two counts of making false statements related to healthcare matters. As part of his plea agreement, Malik, a psychiatrist, agreed to surrender his Drug Enforcement Administration registrations that had allowed him to administer controlled substances.

According to court documents, Dr. Ali admitted that he agreed to provide healthcare services to Medicare patients from a business owned by Dr. Malik, identified as Psych Care Consultants LLC. Although the services were performed by Ali, they were billed under Malik’s name and Medicare provider number. The claims involved “annual wellness visits,” which include the development or update of a personalized prevention plan and cognitive function assessments. Dr. Ali did not conduct in-person visits but asked patients a series of questions by phone. Medicare paid $3,902 for these services, which were determined to be fraudulent.

Dr. Malik admitted to submitting claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurers falsely stating that he had performed in-person services, even though he was either outside Missouri or out of the country. One...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMikwFBVV95cUxNdm03dGRrSGFVTE4wTGc4TWpM...