LI Foot Doc Sentenced To Prison For Healthcare Fraud

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — Hal Abrahamson, a podiatrist with an office in Plainview, was sentenced to one year and a day in prison, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Friday.

Abrahamson, 57, of Melville, pleaded guilty on June 26, 2018 to healthcare fraud in connection to the operation of his practice. The court ordered Abrahamson to pay restitution of $869,651, a $50,000 fine and forfeit $177,000.

"Greed dictated this doctor’s billing practices," United States Attorney Richard P. Donoghue said. "The defendant stole a million dollars from Medicare and private insurance companies but has been brought to justice."

According to court documents and the plea proceeding, Abrahamson’s health care fraud scheme went from January 2013 until January 2017.

Abrahamson used several fraudulent billing techniques over the years, including: billing for skin grafts and wound packing services never performed; billing for work purportedly done by another podiatrist whose reimbursement rate was higher, but which was in fact done by Abrahamson, or not at all; and billing for more expensive procedures than those actually performed.

Abrahamson billed for fraudulent skin grafts 1,092 times over the four-year period. Conversely, a podiatrist with a comparable practice in Plainview billed only once, and another podiatrist in Abrahamson's office billed only five times.

Abrahamson billed for wound packing 757 times over a four-year period and routinely added this to his false billing under another podiatrist’s name.