A Louisiana doctor has admitted to a scheme defrauding Medicare by ordering unnecessary cancer genetic tests for patients he had never treated, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Dr. Robert Tassin, 64, of Slidell, pled guilty to health care fraud and could face a substantial prison sentence.
The case unveiled by Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson revealed Tassin was involved with various telemedicine companies, through which he submitted orders for CGx tests that were not medically required, between February and September of 2019 his actions led to over $6.6 million in false claims to Medicare, with over $2 million actually paid out. According to a press release from the Justice Department, Tassin accepted payments for each order he made—roughly $30—despite not interacting with the patients in question.
The fraud was extensive, with Tassin falsely indicating in medical records that these tests, which were for personal gain and not for the patients' welfare, were necessary for treatment. In the plea deal, Tassin has agreed to forfeit the $106,757 he earned from this scheme and will also pay restitution surpassing $2 million. "Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General," which played a critical role in bringing the case to light, as mentioned on the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Sentencing is set for August 28, where Tassin faces a maximum of ten years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and could also be fined up to $250,000 or more if it's twice the amount of his gross gains or Medicare's gross loss in addition to that Tassin is also subject to a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Kelly Walters of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Moses, Healthcare Fraud Coordinator for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
