An Indian-origin doctor has been convicted by a US federal jury for his involvement in multiple healthcare frauds, including unlawfully distributing controlled substances and prescribing unnecessary medications.
Neil K Anand, 48, of Bensalem, Pennsylvania, was found guilty of conspiring to submit false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Independence Blue Cross (IBC), and Anthem. According to a statement by the Department of Justice (DOJ), the claims involved “Goody Bags” — pre-packaged sets of prescription medications dispensed by in-house pharmacies owned by Anand.
Forced medications for prescriptions
Evidence presented at trial showed that Anand and his co-conspirators required patients to accept the Goody Bags, which they neither needed nor wanted, in order to receive prescriptions for controlled substances. In total, Medicare, OPM, IBC, and Anthem paid over USD 2.3 million for these unnecessary medications.
