An Ohio physician was sentenced and ordered to make nearly $1 million in restitution after a federal investigation found she signed off on medically unnecessary orders, triggering more than $1.8 million in Medicare billing.
Muna Orra, 42, of Westlake, Ohio, pleaded guilty in January to making False Statements Related to Health Care Matters and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John R. Adams to five years of probation. The court also ordered her to pay $997,641 in restitution to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Those figures come from federal court filings and reflect the government’s calculation of loss tied to the scheme.
The case centers on orders Orra signed for durable medical equipment, primarily braces, and for genetic testing that investigators say were not medically necessary. Prosecutors say she used her licensed status as a physician to approve paperwork without performing required evaluations or confirming medical need. The orders were then used by a billing entity to seek Medicare reimbursement for those items.
From about February 2018 through September 2021, Orra worked as an independent contractor for a Georgia-based telemedicine company that supplied patient files and prewritten orders. She would review electronic files, apply an electronic signature to the orders, and return them to the company for billing. That company then submitted claims to Medicare, relying on Orra’s signed orders as documentation that the equipment and testing were medically necessary.
https://x.com/OIGatHHS/status/2067233179153375641
Investigators concluded Orra routinely did not meaningfully review the patient records provided to her and failed to perform in-person assessments that some orders required. Records show her electronic signature was often executed just seconds after opening a file, which prosecutors say is inconsistent with a real clinical review. That behavior formed the basis for the false statements charge to which she pleaded guilty.
The financial picture prosecutors laid out is detailed: Orra’s orders were tied to roughly $93,473 in bills for genetic testing and $1,749,051 in bills for braces, for a total billed amount of $1,842,524. Medicare paid about $64,189 on the genetic testing claims and roughly $933,452 on the braces claims. The restitution order reflects recovered and attributable losses the court assigned to Orra.
Federal authorities have been increasing their focus on schemes that misuse telemedicine and paper-based orders to generate improper billing. On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division, a unit intended to pursue those who steal or fraudulently use taxpayer dollars. DOJ officials have pointed to whole-of-government efforts, including a task force led by the vice president, to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse in federal benefit programs.
The FBI Cleveland Division and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General led the investigation into Orra’s conduct. Assistant United States Attorney Erica Barnhill handled the prosecution in federal court. The case is one of several recent actions federal prosecutors have brought against medical providers and billing networks accused of submitting claims for unnecessary services or equipment.
To submit a complaint about healthcare fraud or abuse of services, visit oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud/.
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