ICYMI: Dermatologist Accused of Fraudulent Billing Practices to Pay Over $300,000 in Settlement

In case you missed it, here's a story that appeared earlier this week in Smithtown Patch:

A dermatologist in Smithtown accused of engaging in fraudulent billing practices including submitted false claims to government healthcare programs, will be paying more than $300,000 as part of a civil agreement, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Under the terms of the settlement, 59-year-old Long Beach resident Barry Solomon, head of Deremedx Dermatology, will pay a total of $302,227.11 and enter into an integrity agreement to provide compliance oversight for the next three years, according to the U.S. Attorney.

Between 2009 and 2014, Solomon allegedly repeatedly billed for services performed as if he were supervising the procedures even though he was not in the office during the procedures and was, at least in some cases, out of the country, the U.S. Attorney said.

He also submitted claims for more hours than he could have possibly worked, including one time when he allegedly billed Medicare for more than 26 hours in one calendar day, according to the U.S. Attorney.

In addition, the investigation conducted by the U.S. Attorney's office revealed that Solomon occasionally double billed Medicare for certain examinations and procedures, the DA said.

“Solomon’s fraudulent billing practices compromised the integrity of taxpayer-funded health programs, and won’t be tolerated” said Scott J. Lampert, special agent in charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said. “HHS-OIG is committed to holding healthcare providers accountable for the services they provide to our most vulnerable citizens.”