Oluwatobi Yerokun, MD, of Joplin, Mo., pleaded guilty to fraudulently ordering $8.7 million in products and tests for 2,184 Medicare and Medicaid patients he never met or examined, the Justice Department said Sept. 21.
Dr. Yerokun, 36, contracted with a telemedicine provider that gave him access to electronic portals and patient information, the Justice Department said. From March 2019 to April 2021 he signed forms stating that genetic tests and durable medical equipment were medically necessary, despite never having communicated with the patients before or after.
In many cases, less than one minute elapsed between Dr. Yerokun accessing patient information and signing the orders, the Justice Department said. The telemedicine company paid him $20 per order he signed, or $44,860 in total.
Medicare paid about $3.1 million for the DME, and Medicaid paid about $525,000 for the genetic testing, the Justice Department said.
Dr. Yerokun faces a maximum of five years in prison.