Indian-American physician pleads guilty to federal healthcare fraud

Washington, US

Mona Ghosh, a 51-year-old Indian-American physician from Chicago has been found guilty of two accounts of federal healthcare fraud. 

Mona has pleaded guilty to fraudulent billing to Medicaid and other private medical insurance providers and is accountable for about USD 2.4 million in fraud. 

Ms Ghosh owns and operates the Progressive Women's Healthcare, which specialises in gynaecology and obstetrics. She and her employees submitted unnecessary and nonexistent insurance claims to various healthcare insurance providers like TRICARE and Medicaid for reimbursement. 

In her plea, Ms Ghosh has admitted that she is liable for more than 1.5 million USD in fraud by claiming false reimbursements from insurance providers. Furthermore, she also accepted that she prepared fake medical records of patients to back her reimbursement claims. 

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"Ghosh fraudulently overstated the length and complexity of in-office and telemedicine visits and submitted claims using billing codes for which the visits did not qualify to seek higher reimbursement rates", the office of the US Attorney said. 

Mona pleaded guilty on June 27, 2024, on two accounts of healthcare fraud which has a 10-year sentence each in federal prison. US District Judge Franklin U Valderrama has set her sentencing on October 22. 

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Based on the information provided by the US Attorney General's Office, Ghosh is guilty of fraud of about USD 2.4 million. However, the final figures will be determined on the day of sentencing. 

(With inputs from agencies)