A doctor based in Southern California has been sentenced to 37 months in prison for his involvement in a $2.8 million fraud scheme. The scheme involved billing Medicare for services that were not necessary, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
John Thropay, a 75-year-old resident of Arcadia, held the position of medical director for various hospice companies, including Blue Sky Hospice Inc. located in Van Nuys. Between October 2014 and March 2016, Thropay engaged in a fraudulent practice by falsely certifying terminal illnesses that patients did not actually have. This unethical behavior was carried out in order to fraudulently bill Medicare for hospice services.
The owners hired physicians, including Thropay, to assess the patients. Thropay conducted brief examinations without referring to medical records before certifying them as terminally ill, even though most of them were not. In 2015, Thropay had the highest number of hospice claims certified by Medicare in the entire country.
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According to a news release from the DOJ, Thropay was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and four counts of health care fraud by the Central District of California in February. Each count carried a maximum penalty of 10 years.
