South Florida Doctor Acquitted of Medicare Fraud Charges

We’ve reported here frequently over the last year or so about the increasing number of Medicare fraud charges being brought by federal prosecutors in the Tampa Bay area and in Florida as a whole. A doctor in Miami-Dade, though, challenged the government and went to trial earlier this month in a home health care case that involves dozens of defendants. In fact, over 20 people have pleaded guilty in the same conspiracy investigation.

Dr. Jorge J. Dieppa was found not guilty by a Miami federal jury of conspiring to defraud the Medicare program and falsifying patient records. Dieppa was accused of referring more than 300 patients to two different home healthcare agencies for expensive diabetic services. Prosecutors alleged that the services were unnecessary and, in some case, never provided.

The two agencies billed Medicare for $22 million and were ultimately paid $15 million between 2006 and 2009. Allegedly, referring doctors would then received a kickback for referred patients.

Dieppa testified in his own defense. He maintained that he evaluated all of his patients and relied on his nurses when evaluating patients and making recommendations for home health services.

A prosecution witness, Roberto Rodriguez, RN, testified that patients’ records were falsified to make it appear that they were eligible for home health care services. Rodriguez previously pleaded guilty to similar charges, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay over $600,000 in restitution.

Eight nurses who were part of the alleged conspiracy were sentenced to prison last month for terms ranging from five months to 2 ½ years. They admitted falsifying patient records for Medicare beneficiaries and acting as recruiters for the two homecare agencies.

Other doctors and nurses as well as the operators and other employees of the two agencies have been convicted and sentenced.