Dr. charged in $13 million Medicare scam

A Staten Island doctor is among 12 New York City medical professionals charged Wednesday in large-scale Medicare rip-offs, according to the Staten Island Advance.

Dr. Emma Poroger, a doctor of osteopathy who lives in Great Kills, is accused of bilking $13 million from the medical program for seniors. Prosecutors say she charged Medicare for various services at her Queens clinic between November 2006 and March 2009 that were never actually provided, including vitamin infusion therapy, sleep studies, nerve conduction tests, medical scans and epilepsy tests.

She is expected to surrender to law enforcement on 14 counts of health care fraud when she returns from vacation in Florida.

Federal authorities say Dr. Poroger and the 11 others who were charged Wednesday – including three medical doctors and a chiropractor – milked Medicare for about $95 million altogether, in their separate, unrelated fraud schemes.

Among the others arrested Wednesday, a group of five Brooklyn residents is accused of using beneficiaries’ names to bill Medicare for about $71 million in services they never provided. The beneficiaries allegedly received kickbacks in return, according to The New York Times.

About Barry Lank

Barry Lank is a former TV and radio writer, and, like most people, was editor of the Courier-Post opinion page in Cherry Hill, at some point. If you look up, you'll realize he's watching you read this. | View all posts by Barry Lank