The Justice Department has charged a Texas doctor, Jason Finkelstein, 53, in an alleged $89 million healthcare fraud scheme. Prosecutors accuse Finkelstein of billing insurers for cardiovascular screening tests for college student-athletes that were not medically necessary and then certifying the results as normal without proper review.
Finkelstein faces charges of healthcare fraud and conspiracy. According to the indictment, the scheme exploited the fears of athletes concerned about sudden cardiac arrest, administering tests to those without pre-existing conditions who were seeking clearance to compete. In one instance cited, a patient with undetected significant heart problems, whose test results were falsely certified as normal, later died.
The prosecution is part of a broader nationwide crackdown on healthcare fraud, a federal law enforcement priority that the Trump administration has emphasized. Officials describe Finkelstein's case as an example of the sophisticated schemes prosecutors aim to disrupt, noting allegations of unrendered services and poor medical performance that endangered patients.
"The doctor's alleged conduct, which ignored a textbook diagnosis of preventable cardiac death, is heinous," said Dr. Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. "Healthcare fraud doesn't just steal money, it can steal lives."
Finkelstein pleaded not guilty during a court appearance. His lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
According to prosecutors, the alleged fraud occurred between 2019 and the end of last year. The scheme involved Finkelstein and unidentified co-conspirators at a Florida-based cardiovascular testing and treatment practice he owned. The indictment states the practice used deceptive marketing tactics to offer free heart screens to students who did not need them. These tests were then certified as normal, even when they indicated potential problems.
Prosecutors provided quotes from Finkelstein indicating awareness of risk, with one statement to an unnamed co-conspirator reading, "(t)hese kids could be high risk ...(o)ne of them drops dead on a field, they’re coming after both of us."
Co-conspirators allegedly sent emails to athletic trainers at colleges and universities, promoting the tests as capable of identifying life-threatening conditions. Kickbacks and other incentives were also reportedly offered to school officials to generate patient referrals.
To circumvent insurance requirements for prior medical necessity, prosecutors allege Finkelstein submitted claims with phony diagnoses, such as elevated blood pressure and hypertension, for athletes who did not have these conditions. The indictment also notes that the practice employed sonographers lacking proper credentials and that Finkelstein, being licensed in most U.S. states, enabled nationwide claims submissions.
In one specific case in 2024, prosecutors say Finkelstein certified approximately 63 test result images for a patient after reviewing them for about 11 seconds. The results actually revealed multiple cardiac abnormalities, and the patient subsequently died.