A 65-year-old pediatrician was arrested on Tuesday and charged the following day for aggravated fraud. The doctor, who practices in Bourges and Vierzon (Cher), is suspected of having diverted 1.2 million euros to the Social Security. He would have defrauded from the vital cards of his patients, reports Le Parisien . His scheme has been in place for several years.
Health insurance realized a few months ago that the pediatrician practiced a lot of procedures and that almost half of the reimbursements related to pediatric consultations in the department concerned him. A complaint was then filed and the police opened an investigation in early 2020.
Invented acts
“When he performed a deafness test, he not only billed the patient he had examined but passed the vital card of a whole family. This allowed him to be reimbursed for several medical procedures instead of just one, "explained a daily judicial source.
The doctor is said to have billed some children for eye tests almost every week. Certain acts were also completely invented. Patients, often holders of CMU, did not realize anything since they did not pay.
A comfortable lifestyle
The investigators noticed that the doctor had a very comfortable lifestyle. "Financial investigations have uncovered an important real estate heritage in Lebanon, its country of origin, as well as in France", indicates the prosecutor of Bourges. His bank accounts also contained more than 300,000 euros.
During the searches, the police got hold of several letters from patients who complained about paid but not reimbursed consultations. The pediatrician may therefore have charged patients affiliated with the CMU. The investigation will have to prove it. The man has been placed under judicial supervision, but may for the moment continue to exercise.
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