Adam Arredondo, MD, of Waxahachie-based Texas Anesthesia and Pain Management Institute faces up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine for alleged healthcare fraud, waxahachietx.com reports.
Here are five takeaways:
1. The anesthesiologist was indicted by a federal grand jury Aug. 8 on allegations he called "bogus" and "totally untrue."
2. Dr. Arredondo is accused of soliciting and receiving two $10,000 checks in exchange for referring compounding prescriptions to Skiatook, Okla.-based OK Compounding, after being hired as a consultant. OK Compounding allegedly submitted claims for prescription compounding drugs to Medicare, Tricare and Federal Employees' Compensation Act beneficiaries.
The two checks made out to Arredondo were dated Aug. 14, 2013, and Sept. 13, 2013.
3. Dr. Arredondo also allegedly recruited other physicians to contract with OK Compounding through Taffinder Marketing, a company he controlled. The indictment states a $30,000 check dated Sept. 13, 2013 was made out to Taffinder Marketing.
4. Dr. Arredondo told waxahachietx.com a company called R&A Medical Marketing hired him to evaluate medication and conduct research, and he only assessed information brought to his office. He said he ended his relationship with the company via email Aug. 1, 2013, after observing "odd" practices.
"There is no referral numeration, number one," Dr. Arredondo said. "Number two, Medicare fraud? I don't take Medicare. Number three, Tricare and Department of Labor, I don't see those. Back then, I saw one Tricare patient. Tricare is part of the government. It is a VA hospital. They go to the VA. How can I get paid [with] one patient? It's impossible."
5. He said his legal team hopes the case will be thrown out as soon as possible.