Clearwater Doctor Sentenced to Prison for Health Care Fraud
Tampa, Florida – In a significant blow to the healthcare system, U.S. District Judge James S. Moody Jr. has sentenced Jayam Krishna Iyer (66, Clearwater) to six months in federal prison for committing health care fraud.
According to court documents, Iyer owned and operated Creative Medical Center, a pain management clinic located on Druid Road East in Clearwater. She conducted office visits and wrote prescriptions for controlled substances, including oxycodone, morphine, and fentanyl.
Beginning in July 2011 and continuing through December 2017, Iyer carried out a scheme to defraud Medicare by billing for face-to-face office visits with Medicare and Medicaid patients, when, in fact, certain patients had not gone to Iyer’s office and had not been examined by her on the claimed dates.
Iyer falsified her electronic medical records, including vital statistics, to make it appear that the actual patients had been present in her office for an office visit, when they had not. She submitted at least $52,000 in false and fraudulent Medicare and Medicaid claims.
In addition to the prison sentence, Iyer was ordered to forfeit over $52,000 in health care fraud proceeds, pay restitution to the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and surrender her DEA registration number, which had been used to prescribe controlled substances. She is also permanently excluded from participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
This case was investigated by the Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Florida Office of Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelley Howard-Allen.
Iyer’s sentencing is a significant victory for law enforcement efforts to combat healthcare fraud and opioid abuse. The case highlights the importance of vigilance in the healthcare system and the devastating consequences of healthcare fraud.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Healthcare & Medical Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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