A doctor from Ohio pleaded guilty Monday to three felony charges and admitted accepting $291,000 in kickbacks from telemedicine companies involved in a nationwide fraud scheme. Despite knowing it was illegal to solicit or accept any payments in return for referrals, Dr. Amy Swegan, 47, of Aurora, Ohio, was paid $30 for each “consult” she performed on behalf of a series of companies from July 25, 2017 to February 28, 2019. She then approved prescriptions for pain cremes, genetic tests for cancer and orthotic braces and other durable medical equipment for thousands of patients, her plea agreement says. Medicare, Medicaid, and other insurers will reimburse for durable medical equipment only if a qualified health professional determines that the brace is medically necessary. Swegan simply accepted the statements of the telemedicine companies that the intake workers employed by them were qualified to assess patients. She made no further inquiry or investigation, and simply ordered orthotic braces that patients did not request or need, her plea agreement says. Swegan admitted ignoring numerous red flags and deliberately chose not to inquire as to whether the agreements and practices were improper, unethical, or illegal.
