Raul S. Ramirez, owner of Miami-based RA Medical Center, was convicted of healthcare fraud and money laundering, according to a news release by the U.S. Attorney's office in the Southern District of Florida.
Mr. Ramirez paid Medicare beneficiaries to sign papers stating they had received HIV-related treatments and to allow their Medicare numbers to be used to bill Medicare.
According to the evidence presented at trial, the billings were mostly for expensive drug infusion treatments for blood disorders that were claimed to be complications of the beneficiaries' HIV condition.
To justify the treatments, Mr. Ramirez falsified medical records showing severe symptoms such as spontaneous bleeding. Blood samples taken from the clinic were found to be fraudulent. Blood tests from the same Medicare beneficiaries at legitimate hospitals did not show the purported blood disorders.
Evidence also showed Mr. Ramirez hired billing companies to bill Medicare and had the bills submitted under the name of a now deceased physician. Evidence showed that the physician was not in Miami on the dates of many of the physician visits and treatments billed to Medicare.
Sentencing for Mr. Ramirez has been scheduled for Oct. 13. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison on each of the 16 counts.
Read the U.S. Attorney's news release on the Miami Medicare fraud.
Read more coverage on healthcare fraud:
- Miami Clinic Owner Arrested for Medicare Fraud
- Five Arrested in Florida for Medicaid Fraud and Other Felony Charges
- Florida Operation Aims to Shutdown Fake Prescription Fraud
Mr. Ramirez paid Medicare beneficiaries to sign papers stating they had received HIV-related treatments and to allow their Medicare numbers to be used to bill Medicare.
According to the evidence presented at trial, the billings were mostly for expensive drug infusion treatments for blood disorders that were claimed to be complications of the beneficiaries' HIV condition.
To justify the treatments, Mr. Ramirez falsified medical records showing severe symptoms such as spontaneous bleeding. Blood samples taken from the clinic were found to be fraudulent. Blood tests from the same Medicare beneficiaries at legitimate hospitals did not show the purported blood disorders.
Evidence also showed Mr. Ramirez hired billing companies to bill Medicare and had the bills submitted under the name of a now deceased physician. Evidence showed that the physician was not in Miami on the dates of many of the physician visits and treatments billed to Medicare.
Sentencing for Mr. Ramirez has been scheduled for Oct. 13. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison on each of the 16 counts.
Read the U.S. Attorney's news release on the Miami Medicare fraud.
Read more coverage on healthcare fraud:
- Miami Clinic Owner Arrested for Medicare Fraud
- Five Arrested in Florida for Medicaid Fraud and Other Felony Charges
- Florida Operation Aims to Shutdown Fake Prescription Fraud