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Doctor pleads guilty to 'subdosing' AIDS patients

Healthcare Auditing Weekly, March 3, 2009

A California doctor pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges of “subdosing” patients by administering medication to AIDS patients in smaller doses than prescribed, according to a DOJ press release. 

George Steven Kooshian M.D., former operator of Valley View Internal Medicine Group and Ocean View Internal Medicine Group at four locations in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, pleaded guilty to two count of healthcare fraud and two counts of making false statements relating to healthcare matters.

Kooshian and his assistant, Virgil Opinion, submitted bills for full doses of several AIDS medications, even though they provided smaller doses. They also billed for administering medication when the patient was no longer taking it and for administering the medication in the office when the patient was self-injecting at home.

According to the press release, Kooshian admitted that these fraudulent claims resulted in $350,000 in losses for health insurance providers, and $660,955 in losses for the government. He faces a maximum statutory sentence of 50 years in prison.

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