Federal prosecutors say an Ashland, Ky., cardiologist has been charged with performing unnecessary cardiac stent procedures on hundreds of patients.
Media outlets report that 68-year-old Richard E. Paulus was indicted Thursday on one count of healthcare fraud and 26 counts of making false statements relating to healthcare matters.
According to the indictment, Paulus schemed to defraud and obtain money from Medicare, Medicaid and other insurers.
The indictment says Paulus sold his practice to King's Daughters Medical Center in 2008 and then worked under an agreement with the hospital to do heart procedures. The indictment says Paulus billed Medicare for more heart catheterization and stent procedures than any other cardiologist in the nation from 2006 to 2011.
Paulus' attorney, Robert S. Bennett, said the charges are baseless and unfair.
