Jerry Joseph Bruggeman, MD, 52, has been indicted on charges he made false statements to Medicare.
In a 13-count indictment, the Columbia, Mo., physician was charged with providing false statements regarding Medicare beneficiaries who received medical devices or genetic testing, according to a Jan. 24 news release from the Justice Department.
Dr. Bruggeman was contracted with a telemedicine company in Boca Raton, Fla., which aggregated personal information of Medicare beneficiaries and then hired physicians to review and sign Medicare claims. Dr. Bruggeman was paid $20 per individual patient assessment, according to the indictment.
In March and April 2019, Dr. Bruggeman approved orders for medical devices for eight Medicare beneficiaries, falsely stating the devices were medically necessary even though he never evaluated or assessed the patient, the indictment alleges.
Additionally, between January and March 2019, he allegedly approved genetic testing for five Medicare beneficiaries despite never treating the patients.