The fastest OD in the West

[rbaker]

The fastest OD in the West and the dumbest.

An optometrist who served Georgia nursing homes faces a 33-month prison sentence for defrauding Medicare.

Jeffrey Sponseller, O.D., pleaded guilty to the false claims charges, and on Thursday received his sentence in a U.S. District Court in Augusta, according to local reports. The sentencing hearing lasted all day, and included testimony from investigators with government agencies such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

FBI Special Agent Paul Kubala said Sponseller once billed for doing comprehensive eye exams for 59 nursing home residents in three hours, including one person who didn't have eyes, according to local newspaper The Augusta Chronicle.

A CMS investigator testified that Sponseller most often billed under the code for comprehensive eye exams given for the first time to medically complex patients, but related documentation was not sufficient to support any Medicare payment.

The government is seeking about $500,000 in restitution, the Chronicle reported.

Georgia’s health department terminated optometrist Dr. Jeffrey Sponseller on Feb. 20, 2013, the same day he pleaded guilty to Medicare fraud. He claimed that in a single day, he conducted 177 eye exams that would have taken 132 hours to perform.

Sponseller remained on South Carolina’s Medicaid rolls for almost a year afterward, until Reuters asked about him.

“If you hadn’t brought this to our attention, we don’t know when we would have known about this,” said Kim Cox, director of communications for the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. South Carolina has not attempted to recoup the money.

Sponseller, now serving a 33-month sentence in federal prison, was unavailable for comment.

[Golfnorth]

That's hilarious!
And he thought he was going to get away with it! lmao

[Johns]

Not hilarious to me! I know this goes on way to often in my area, and would love to see more busts.

[rbaker]

Check our the "whistleblowers laws" in your State and the Federal laws as well. Go get em.

[Dr. Bill Stacy]

Makes those arguments against governmental regulating optometry/opticianry look pretty silly, if not downright dangerous.

[scriptfiller]

A pediatric Medicaid dentist in Jacksonville just got busted for millions in over billing for procedures that were unnecessary and done without parental notification. The dude is 78 and will spend the rest of his life in jail most likely. Google Dr. Howard Schneider DDS.

Clean it up and clean them out....

[mdeimler]

Not hilarious to me! I know this goes on way to often in my area, and would love to see more busts.

Famous OD here in my area did the same thing. He's also the guy that ran for a local government position and got busted for stealing his opponent's campaign signs.