A Slidell doctor was sentenced on Thursday, April 9, for conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud.
According to the Eastern District of Louisiana, from February to September 2019, 67-year-old Robert Tassin issued doctor’s orders for cancer genomic testing, or CGx tests, for Medicare beneficiaries he never saw, spoke with, or treated. He accomplished this through a number of telemedicine companies for which he claimed to work. As a result of Tassin’s orders, approximately $6.6 million in false and fraudulent claims were submitted to Medicare, for which Medicare reimbursed $2.2 million.
To hide and continue the scam, Tassin issued multiple false and fraudulent declarations in support of the orders he submitted, including falsely certifying medical records that the CGx tests were medically essential for the patients’ treatment. Tassin was compensated for electronically examining patient charts and ordering CGx tests with a predetermined price per doctor’s order, which was typically $30.
Tassin was sentenced to three years of probation, with the first 12 months spent in home confinement, as well as a prohibition on working in the healthcare industry while on probation without prior approval from United States Probation. Tassin was also ordered to repay Medicare $2,043,542.23, forfeit $106,757, and pay a $100 special assessment fee.
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