Clear Choice Diagnostics Bilks Medicare for Millions, Florida Man Pleads Guilty
Clark represented himself as the owner of Clear Choice Diagnostics, Inc., headquartered in Boca Rotan, Fla. Along with the real owner of Clear Choice Diagnostics, Clark ran a scheme to illegally bill the government for genetics and COVID-19 test kits, prosecutors say.
Clark faces five years in prison for his role in the fraud. The FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) continue to investigate the case.
A Sophisticated Scam
Clear Choice Diagnostics used stolen beneficiary numbers to charge Medicare for genetics and COVID-19 test kits that were neither ordered by a physician nor deemed medically necessary. That added up to $30 million in false charges, more than half of which was paid out by Medicare, according to court filings.
Clark’s scheme also involved paying kickbacks and bribes in exchange for referrals of Medicare beneficiaries.
The Toll of Medicare Fraud
Medicare fraud costs U.S. taxpayers over $100 billion each year, according to estimates by the National Health Care Fraud Association. That equals an average estimated tax burden of more than $300 on every man, woman, and child in the United States.
The DHHS has an ongoing fraud alert on genetic test scams. The alert warns against providing Medicare beneficiary numbers to companies who send “free” test kits in the mail. Unless a genetic test is deemed medically necessary and ordered by a physician, Medicare will not pay the claim, leaving the patient on the hook for the bill.
More From This Author
Human Traffickers Found Guilty in Forced Labor Scheme
Feature Teresa Tennyson | Sep 3, 2024
Former Army Green Beret Who Organized Failed Coup in Venezuela Charged by Feds
Feature Teresa Tennyson | Aug 5, 2024
High School Track Coach Targeted Minors. How Was It Allowed to Go On for So Long?
Feature Teresa Tennyson | Jul 23, 2024
Weekly Muck
Join the mission and subscribe to our newsletter. In exchange, we promise to fight for justice.
Weekly
Muck
Join the mission and subscribe to our newsletter. In exchange, we promise to fight for justice.
