A cardiologist accused of performing unnecessary procedures is getting a new trial.
The news, first reported by the West Virginia-based Herald-Dispatch, comes more than two years after the doctor was sentenced to five years in prison.
Richard Paulus, a longtime employee at King’s Daughter Medical Center in Ashland, Kentucky, was first found guilty of healthcare fraud back in October 2016. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Paulus performed numerous medically unnecessary cardiac procedures from 2008 to 2013, fraudulently billing Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers.
At the time, one U.S. attorney described the guilty verdict as a “milestone in an investigation spanning several years.” King’s Daughter Medical Center, meanwhile, supported both their former employee and the strength of their heart program throughout the investigation.
In 2019, Paulus was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay close to $1 million in restitution. However, there have been many twists and turns—including multiple appeals and some potential new evidence—in the case since that sentencing was finalized. Now, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati has ruled that a new trial is needed. Double jeopardy, the court emphasized, is not a factor in this case.
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Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.