Kansas Doctor Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for $8M Medicare Fraud Scheme

A federal judge has sentenced Dr. Scott Taggart Roethle, an anesthesiologist from the Kansas City area, to three years in prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar Medicare fraud scheme that billed the federal health program for orthotic braces that were medically unnecessary and issued without proper patient evaluation. Roethle was also ordered to pay $8.3 million in restitution for the improper claims submitted to Medicare, which paid out at least $8 million based on his prescriptions.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Roethle participated in a telemarketing-driven network where overseas call centers collected Medicare beneficiary information and fraudulently secured prescriptions for orthotic braces from him. The scheme involved Roethle signing thousands of prescriptions without examining patients or providing follow-up care, violating federal law and exploiting the Medicare program. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), FBI, and other federal partners investigated the case, which highlights how kickbacks and telemedicine abuse can fuel healthcare fraud and harm vulnerable beneficiaries.