By Tiffany Williams –
An Alabama-based physician, Tommie Robinson, 43, has been charged and has agreed to plead guilty in connection with a $6 million telemedicine fraud scheme involving medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME) and genetic testing designed to detect gene mutations associated with higher cancer risk. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled.
According to court documents, between December 2018 and March 2021, Robinson collaborated with telemedicine companies to sign medical documentation, including doctors’ orders, for DME and genetic tests that were medically unnecessary. The signed orders were allegedly pre-populated based on telemarketing calls to Medicare beneficiaries, and Robinson reportedly had no direct contact or medical relationship with the patients. Claims were subsequently submitted to Medicare by suppliers and laboratories for equipment and tests that were not medically required. The scheme is alleged to have resulted in more than $6 million in fraudulent claims, some of which were tainted by kickbacks.
Robinson faces one count of health care fraud. The charge carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain or loss, whichever is greater. Federal sentencing guidelines and statutes will guide the court in determining the final sentence.