A medical doctor was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison and a $300,000 fine last week in connection with a $14.3 million Medicare fraud case involving a Northeast-based hospice care service.
Eugene Goldman, M.D., of Philadelphia, violated the federal anti-kickback statute in his former role as medical director for Home Care Hospice at 2801 Grant Ave. From about December 2000 until July 2011, Goldman routinely referred Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries to HCH as patients. The hospice service in turn paid Goldman for these referrals in violation of federal law, then fraudulently reported the payments as compensation for Goldman’s role as medical director, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Goldman collected at least $309,000 in illegal payments. Investigators filmed him receiving some of these kickbacks in early 2009.
U.S. District Judge Eduardo Robreno sentenced Goldman on Oct. 23. Previously, the defendant was convicted at trial of violating the anti-kickback statute and conspiracy.
On Oct. 17, a federal jury convicted Goldman’s co-conspirator, HCH owner Matthew Kolodesh, of illegally billing Medicare for $14.3 million in hospice services that patients did not receive or for which they were not eligible under the taxpayer-funded health insurance program. His sentencing date has not been announced. ••
