Cleveland, Ohio — Federal prosecutors allege that an Avon doctor ordered more than $260,000 in medically unnecessary braces while working for a telemedicine company.
Mohammad Ahmad, 39, worked for Lifeline Recruiting, a Florida-based company, when prosecutors allege he lied about performing tests on patients, prescribed $267,401 in unnecessary braces, and caused Medicare to pay out approximately $126,000.
Ahmad was charged Monday in federal court in Cleveland with making a false statement about health care. An arraignment date has not yet been scheduled.
He was charged on the basis of information, which means he agreed to waive grand jury proceedings and will typically plead guilty to the charges.
Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer contacted Ahmad’s attorney, Richard Blake, for comment.
Ahmad has been licensed to practice in Ohio since 2014. He worked as an independent contractor for Lifeline Recruiting between November 2018 and May 2019, according to court records.
Lifeline purchased “leads” containing information about Medicare beneficiaries and used call centers to ask patients about their health status and whether they needed braces.
The company required doctors to examine and prescribe the braces in order to be reimbursed by Medicare.
According to court records, it hired Ahmad and paid him $30 per patient interaction.
The charges state that Ahmad prescribed braces and suspension sleeves for the back, shoulders, ankles, and wrists.
He forged documents required by Medicare for reimbursement, including detailed reports of the doctor’s diagnosis and why the patient needed the brace.
He also lied about performing tests on patients that could only be done in person, despite the fact that Ahmad only provided telemedicine consultations, according to court records.
On Dec. 8, 2018, Ahmad prescribed one patient braces for the back, both knees, and both wrists, as well as two suspension sleeves for the knees, according to court records.
He did so without completing the required in-person test. According to prosecutors, the prescriptions resulted in a $3,273 Medicare bill.
