Dive Brief:
- Florida opthalmologist Dr. Salomon Melgen, 61, has been charged with 46 counts of healthcare fraud, plus additional charges of filing false claims and making false statements.
- The indictment against Melgen charges that he operated a scheme at his offices in Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties from 2004 to 2013.
- Just weeks ago, Melgen was also indicted in a New Jersey corruption case. He is charged with giving gifts and campaign contributions to New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez as a trade-off for political favors.
Dive Insight:
Melgen drew attention to himself by billing Medicare for $190 million and receiving $105 million of that from January 2008 to December 2013.
His indictment accuses him of intentionally misdiagnosing his primarily elderly patients with macular degeneration and providing expensive and unnecessary treatments such as laser surgery and eye injections. He has pleaded not guilty.
Due to Melgen being considered a flight risk, he will not be free while awaiting trial, but kept at a federal lockup in Miami.
According to the New York Times, the maximum prison time Melgen could face if convicted on all counts is 610 years.