A former chief medical officer at New London Hospital has pleaded guilty to health care fraud over his role in a scheme to bilk Medicare by prescribing unnecessary medical devices for beneficiaries, with whom in most cases he had not consulted or communicated.
Dr. Steven Powell, formerly of Grantham but now a resident of Georgia, pleaded guilty April 26 in a New Hampshire U.S. District Court to health care fraud after federal prosecutors charged him with colluding with people at two purported telehealth companies to submit more than $1.9 million in fallacious claims to Medicare, according to court documents. The crimes were committed after Powell resigned from New London Hospital.
Powell, 53, is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 30. The charge can carry up to 10 years in prison, but the prosecutors will recommend a prison sentence of three years and eight months at the hearing, according to the plea agreement accepted by the court on May 24.
Source: Former New London Hospital executive pleads guilty to Medicare fraud / Valley News