Medicare and other insurance programs apparently took a bath in a Tennessee podiatrist’s scheme of prescribing and dispensing medically unnecessary — and virtually useless — foot bath medications.
Dr. Nathan Lucas, of Advanced Foot & Ankle Care of Memphis LLC, which includes two in-house pharmacies, was convicted Monday in the scheme that investigators say resulted in nearly $4 million in insurance claims, with Medicare and the state-run TennCare absorbing the biggest losses, as reported by WKRN in Memphis, Tennessee.
The foot soaks included capsules, creams and powders that were not indicated to be dissolved in water and some of which were not even water soluble, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Dr. Lucas, who was convicted of five counts of health care fraud and faces 10 years on each count, reportedly chose these medications to prescribe and dispense specifically based on their anticipated reimbursement amount, rather than for patient’s medical needs, according to the report.