In a press release issued Tuesday, the Department of Justice announced the conviction of a Texas doctor in a healthcare fraud scheme targeting TRICARE, “the health care program for uniformed service members, retirees, and their families.”
The defendant is the director of Austin, Texas’ ADAR Group LLC, Dr. Sekhar Rao, according to the Department of Justice.
The scheme was carried out through fraudulent billing of toxicology and genetic testing that was not medically necessary. or “not provided as represented,” the release says. Testing was authorized without consultation of patients, and in some cases without the knowledge of patients. Some patients were even induced to undergo testing with $50 gift cards, the announcement said.
Sentencing is set for next year. The defendant could face up to two decades in prison, according to the press release.