Santa Fe cardiologist Roy Heilbron, MD, has been sentenced to more than four years in prison for medical fraud and obstruction of justice. He pleaded guilty to fraud last year.
Heilbron was also fined more than $600,000 in victim restitution.
“I knowingly represented that patients had diagnoses and indications that the patients did not actually have,” Heilbron said in a statement during the plea bargain. He listed false symptoms, observations and diagnoses on patients’ medical charts. He also said he used clinical notes, test results and ultrasounds to record procedures that were either not performed or not sufficiently documented for billing purposes.
Heilbron also falsified his own medical records by claiming he was undergoing prostate cancer treatments and asked that his sentencing be delayed. He eventually admitted he lied about the cancer treatments and was on vacation in Europe.
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As a senior news writer for TriMed, Subrata covers cardiology, clinical innovation and healthcare business. She has a master’s degree in communication management and 12 years of experience in journalism and public relations.