Beaumont doctor indicted on 35 counts of federal healthcare fraud charges

A federal grand jury indicted a Beaumont doctor on 35 counts of healthcare fraud and other related charges March 18, according to a Wednesday news release from the office of the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas.

"According to the indictment, beginning in January 2015, (Grigoriy T. Rodonaia, of Port Neches,) is alleged to have participated in a health care fraud scheme by issuing prescriptions for specially compounded scar creams using the names, dates of birth, and Health Insurance Claim Numbers of TRICARE beneficiaries and caused the prescriptions to be forwarded directly to Memorial Compounding Pharmacy in Houston, Texas without the specific knowledge of the beneficiary and without having examined or consulted with the beneficiary," the release said.

Prosecutors said the prescriptions were billed to the military healthcare program TRICARE at costs ranging from $9,000- $13,000 per prescription and authorized multiple refills. The release said Rodonaia was responsible for more than 600 prescriptions in the names of approximately 140 beneficiaries "outside the usual course of professional practice and without medical necessity."

The fraudulent prescriptions cost TRICARE approximately $6.7 million in funds to Memorial Compounding Pharmacy, the release said.

Read more: https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Beaumont-doctor-indicted-on-35-counts-of-federal-15365770.php