MCPO Ret. In TN sends us a link to the story of 44-year-old Doctor Apostolos Voudouris who pleaded guilty in New Jersey of billing the Department of Veterans Affairs for $238,000 in medical tests that he never did.
From MyCentralNewJersey;
In 2006, he began providing services to eligible veterans at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in East Orange under his contract with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Voudouris admitted that on more than 350 times between 2011 and 2015, he submitted documents to the Veteran Administrations falsely claiming to have performed procedures that he had not. In doing so, he fraudulently received $238,230 from the VA.
Voudouris faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced Dec.12.
He faces a jail term of ten years in addition to the $714,690 restitution that he agreed to pay.
so much for the Hippocratic Oath, ethical practice, representing your profession,colleagues, and community, eh Doctor?
There’s no way to pull this guy’s license fast enough IMO.
License?
He don’t need no stinkin license.
The VA will find a slot for him elsewhere.
VA would probably hire him for a newly-formed medical ethics department.
—-> Banging head on keyboard
As if taking large sums of money from the government for little work is hard? Why fake it? They’ll pay millions to conduct a study on how much money is spent on studies. Legitimately taking from the government is easy.
He could make all sorts of money doing studies on things like trends in left ventricular ejection fraction secondary to climate change. 🙂
There is something that would get a government grant.
Submit a request for a grant for that study. It would be interesting to see how long it takes to get a grant for that.
As a service connected disabled veteran, I am lucky to see my VA PCP once a year. Thank God I have Tricare to fall back on.
New Jersey. ’nuff said.
Dude is a cardiologist.
How many Joes are walking around with bad tickers cause this guy didn’t do the tests necessary?
http://www.mdpartnersehmc.com/laboratory/bart-de-gregorio-md-llc/
If they can link even one death due to his negligence he should be charged.
Negligent manslaughter + malpractice suit(s)?
Whatever is deemed appropriate within the existing laws. Taking his license is applicable for the monetary issues but not nearly enough if he negligently caused harm or death to anyone that was trusted into his care.
Dude is a cardiologist.?? I’m missing something here. How does a cardiologist gundeck a procedure. It’s not like it’s possible to gundeck a cardiac cath or nuc med stress test. Anyone with more particulars? Anyway, how many died after getting false negative/positive results for a procedure never done? Where is the QA/QC? Somebody got some splainin’ to do.
He billed the VA for tests on patients that he never did, not a procedure.
Just on a purely financial basis, that works out to having made $238K, getting fined $250K, and for the privilege of spending 10 years in the slammer and paying $1200 a year for it. No wonder he’s a doctor… his math skills suck. As he will no doubt will while in the slammer.
“…his math skills suck. As he will no doubt will while in the slammer.” I see beaucoup fellato during his time in the slammer. Screw him and his dishonesty.
“his math skills suck”
Considering the average salary of a Cardiologist, yes, this was not within an acceptable Benefits:Risk ratio.
some of you may already know, but for others…this is how to become a cardiologist:
He had to get an undergraduate degree, go to medical school, score high enough on his boards to apply for a competitive residency in (usually) a primary care type residency then apply for and score a cardiology fellowship complete that and become board certified to just call himself a cardiologist.
That process takes in total, about 15 years +/-
**Depending on certain variances in training inherent to a particular pathway, but it will be close no matter where all the training is done.
*poof*
This is, indeed, good news, although the people who went to him in good faith are now compromised.
How long would it take to get some other scamming scumbag hit with a fraud charge?
I’m sure there’s more and he’s only “That Guy” who was caught!
So did he make up imaginary sessions that his veteran patients didn’t need–which is pretty damn low anyway–or did he deny them care while still billing for it anyway?
The usual method is to take the data from a patient who was seen and perhaps seen briefly and then add a shit load of tests to the bill, without ever doing the tests. So the taxpayer gets screwed and the worst is, the patient veteran who didn’t get a test that was perhaps truly needed.
He’s an ass wipe.
“in addition to the $714,690 restitution that he agreed to pay.”
If he has 3/4 of a million on hand to pay, he’s made a bundle. Something tells me he has an after jail stash that will keep him comfortable the rest of his life.
Dirty shit stain!
Until the malpractice suits start rolling in.
The sad irony is that he is probably going to get what he deserves only because he was a contractor. If he had been an actual employee, he would have simply been transferred with a raise and/or promotion.
A cardiologist in New Jersey is making $350,000 to $450,000 per year
A V.A. doctor is probably at the low end of that range
My thinking is how much does a person really need?
He threw away another 20 years at $350,000 which is $8,000,000
There is no mention of his veteran status
After the surgery on my spine last October at the University of Utah Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, I was transferred to the Holladay Healthcare Center for rehabilitation (which was worse than the surgery), where the physician was Dr. Peter Steele.
Everything was ordered and paid for by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
When I was discharged from the Holladay Healthcare Center, they failed to give my my prescribed narcotics, claiming they’d run out of the medication.
After finally returning home to my apartment in Vernal, Utah, I received bills from the Holladay Healthcare Center, which are now delinquent.
I filed a formal complaint with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, alleging evidence of possible double billing by Dr. Peter Steele and/or the Holladay Healthcare Center, as I believe them to be attempting to receive payment from both the Department of Veterans Affairs and Medicare.
As of this date, there has been no response from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Is this guy even an American citizen?
To work on a Federal Medical Facility the physician doesn’t have to have a medical license in the state where the VA, or military medical facility exists. One must have an unrestricted medical license from one of the 50 states and be in good standing. This SOB will be reported to his state license medical board and be disciplined ( license revoked, stayed, probation..etc) pending charges being levied.
He’s screwed…CAPT Bones USN (ret)
That’s true for regular VA Physicians.
However, he’s a New Jersey Cardiologist hired as a contractor and so, does have a New Jersey license.
As a Physician he had an excellent record. His primary care path before the Cardiology fellowship was in Internal Medicine…and he threw it away.
I am a patient of his
Should I be concerned?