SLIDELL, La. (WGNO) — A Slidell doctor was sentenced Thursday, April 9 for conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud.
According to the Eastern District of Louisiana, 67-year-old Robert Tassin, from February to September of 2019, signed doctor’s orders for Cancer Genomic Testing, or CGx tests, for Medicare beneficiaries he never saw, spoke to or otherwise treated. He did this through several telemedicine companies he purportedly worked for. As a result, Tassin’s orders resulted in over $6.6 million in false and fraudulent claims submitted to Medicare, of which Medicare reimbursed $2 million.
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To conceal and perpetuate the fraud, Tassin made several false and fraudulent statements in support of the orders he submitted, including falsely certifying medical records that the CGx tests were medically necessary for the patients’ treatment. In exchange for electronically reviewing the patient charts and ordering CGx tests, Tassin was paid a set fee per doctor’s order, typically $30.
Tassin was sentenced to three years of probation, with the first 12 months to be served in home confinement, and a ban on participating in a healthcare business during probation without prior approval from United States Probation. Tassin was also ordered to pay restitution of $2,043,542.23 to Medicare, $106,757 in forfeiture and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee…