Michigan podiatrist Kenneth Mitchell, DPM, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for orchestrating a healthcare fraud conspiracy that involved nearly $2 million in false and fraudulent Medicare claims, in addition to identity theft and false records.
Dr. Mitchell was initially suspended by Medicare for suspicious billing practices while operating a podiatry practice that offered on-site foot care to adult foster home residents in Michigan, according to a May 4 news release from the Department of Justice.
After this suspension, Dr. Mitchell launched Urban Health Care Group and used another physician's name to enroll in Medicare and on corporate and banking documents for the group. Through this arrangement, he was able to bill Medicare for almost $2 million in false or fraudulent services.
Dr. Mitchell went on to create false statements even after his indictment, including forging a signature on a fraudulent letter sent to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in an attempt to contradict the government's case against him, the release said.