New York doctor pleads guilty to kickbacks for unnecessary brain scans

A doctor from East Setauket, New York, has admitted his guilt before receiving kickbacks for ordering medically unnecessary brain scans.

According to a Nov. 15 press release from the Department of Justice, from June 2013 to December 2019, therapist Kenneth Fishberger, MD, conspired with others to commit health care fraud.

Dr. Fishberger worked with an executive and salesperson from a medical diagnostic company that performed transcranial Doppler scans to order hundreds of unnecessary scans in exchange for kickbacks.

The scheme involved the use of false diagnoses to justify scans, resulting in about $891,978 in fraudulent claims filed against Medicare and other payers. In return, Dr. Fishberger received kickbacks of about $100 per test.