Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A federal grand jury in Lafayette, Louisiana, returned an indictment today charging a Louisiana doctor for his role in a scheme to defraud Medicare of over $32.7 million by submitting claims for medically unnecessary definitive urine drug testing services.
According to court documents, Michael W. Dole, MD, 59, of Alexandria, owned and operated a pain management practice located in Alexandria, which had an in-house drug testing laboratory. From in or around January 2010 through July 2023, Dole allegedly billed Medicare over $32.7 million for definitive testing of routinely over 22 classes of drugs in urine specimens from nearly all his patients, despite a lack of documentation of use or suspicion of use of those drugs by the patients. It is alleged that Medicare subsequently reimbursed Dole over $11.7 million for the medically unnecessary urine drug testing claims, and Dole used the proceeds of the fraud on personal expenses.
Dole is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and five counts of health care fraud. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each count.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown for the Western District of Louisiana; Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil of the FBI New Orleans Field Office made the announcement.
HHS-OIG and the FBI New Orleans Field Office are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Samantha E. Usher and Kelly Z. Walters of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.