A New Jersey physician was arrested earlier this month for his role in a telemedicine scheme in which he prescribed expensive compounded medications to patients who did not need them, according to New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Bernard Ogon, M.D., a Burlington, N.J. doctor with specialties in family medicine and geriatric medicine, is charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito. According to prosecutors, Ogon was paid by five different telemedicine companies to prescribe “exorbitantly expensive compounded medications, such as pain creams, scar creams, migraine creams, and metabolic supplements/’wellness capsules,’ regardless of whether they were medically necessary for the patient.”
The telemedicine companies would send Ogon prescriptions to sign for compounded medications, and Ogon signed the prescriptions without having established any prior doctor-patient relationship, speaking with the patient, or conducting any kind of medical evaluation, according to the state’s attorney’s office.
Source: N.J. Physician Charged in Elaborate Telemedicine Fraud Scheme / Healthcare Informatics