TYLER, TEXAS (KETK) — The former Chief Financial Officer for Dr. Tariq Mahmood’s Texas hospitals has been charged with health care fraud violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.
Joe White, 66, of Cameron, Texas, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Jan. 22, 2014, and charged with making false statements to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and aggravated identity theft. White appeared for an arraignment hearing today before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 established incentive payments under the Medicare and Medicaid programs for eligible professionals and eligible hospitals that meaningfully use Certified Electronic Health Record Technology. The incentive programs were created to promote the adoption of health information technology and encourage the electronic exchange of health information in order to improve the quality and lower the cost of health care in the United States. Upon meeting certain conditions, an eligible hospital could qualify for incentive payments from CMS if the hospital attested that it had meaningfully used Certified Electronic Health Record Technology for the prior fiscal year.
Former TX hospital CFO charged with health care fraud in Tyler court