News: Greenwich psychologist convicted of $2.6 million in Medicare fraud scheme

A Connecticut psychologist, Michael Lonski, Ph.D., has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for committing a healthcare fraud scheme, according to JustCoding. Lonski was found to have submitted $2.6 million worth of fraudulent claims to both Medicare and Medicaid services.

According to a federal press release, Lonski submitted 80,000 claims between 2014 and 2019, billing 901 claims for more than 12 hours of service and even billing 60 claims for more than 24 hours of service.

“For years, Lonski billed insurers for services that he knew were not rendered, including by billing for patients who were deceased, for dates of service when he was out of the country, for dates of service when Llewellyn was out of the country, and for dates of service when he was hospitalized,” according to the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Connecticut.

Previously, Lonski had settled a federal civil healthcare fraud lawsuit in 2002, where he was required to pay $4 million in restitution, and was unable to participate in any federal health programs until 2007.

Lonski is required to pay a restitution of $2,651,294 and report to federal prison by March 25, 2024.

Editor’s note: To read the JustCoding coverage, click here. To read the statement from the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Connecticut, click here.