A California doctor has pleaded guilty to defrauding Medicare out of more than $3 million by billing for medically unnecessary hospice services, according to the Department of Justice.
 
Dr. Victor Contreras, 68, of Santa Paula, pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud, notes a DOJ news release.
 
According to his plea deal, Contreras and co-defendant Juanita Antenor, 61, formerly of Pasadena, schemed to defraud Medicare by submitting nearly $4 million in false and fraudulent claims for hospice services submitted by two hospice companies controlled by Antenor.
 
Contreras falsely stated on claims forms that patients had terminal illnesses to make them eligible for hospice services, typically adopting diagnoses provided to him by hospice employees regardless of whether they were true, according to the DOJ release.
 
In total, approximately $3,917,946 in fraudulent claims were submitted to Medicare, of which a total of approximately $3,289,889 was paid.
 
Read the full DOJ release at https://tinyurl.com/4bcacmfm.