WASHINGTON – A 60-year-old doctor was named in an indicted that was unsealed Thursday, charging him with health care fraud involving the billing of Medicare for $6.5 million in medical services that weren’t provided, officials said.
Gary J. Ordog, 60, of Valencia, California, also billed Medicare on behalf of beneficiaries who had died. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles, California on March 27 for nine counts of health care fraud.
According to allegations in the indictment, these are the allegations:
- Ordog assisted beneficiaries with various toxicological symptoms, including those related to mold and chemical exposures.
- Ordog would allegedly see a beneficiary at least once in connection with his or her health issues.
- Subsequently, often several years after the last time he saw a particular beneficiary, Ordog would allegedly submit false claims to Medicare for purported additional visits with the same beneficiary, when the visits never actually occurred.
- Also Ordog billed Medicare for services provided to beneficiaries who had died as of the claimed date of service.
The charges contained in an indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged nearly 2,100 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $6.5 billion, according to authorities.