An interesting case

SAN DIEGO — A La Jolla oncologist was sentenced in San Diego federal court Tuesday to a year of probation, stemming from a scheme in which he and his practice treated patients with unapproved foreign cancer drugs, then fraudulently billed Medicare $1.7 million.Dr. Joel I. Bernstein’s sentence is in addition to the one his medical corporation received Friday. His practice was ordered to pay a $500,000 fine, forfeit $1.2 million and make restitution to Medicare for $1.7 million.The payments have all been paid, said his attorney, Charles Sevilla.A federal judge also sentenced the practice to a year of probation, meaning officers can examine the company’s financial records at any time and submit to searches.The case is one of many being investigated by the FDA that highlights the controversy over the pricing of pharmaceuticals in the U.S. and the cost of medical care.More than two dozen of Bernstein’s patients and their caregivers packed into the courtroom Tuesday in support of the doctor.“Doctors are trapped as an economic result of ‘big pharma,’” Dan Hentschke, whose wife was successfully treated by Bernstein, said outside the courtroom. “This was an economic crime, this wasn’t a treatment crime.”Bernstein’s practice admitted to buying $3.4 million of foreign cancer drugs from 2007 to 2011 at significant discounts when compared to similar medicine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.The office then submitted claims to Medicare for the ...
Source: PharmaGossip - Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs