Intended for healthcare professionals

News Extra

Australian radiologists face prosecution for fraud

BMJ 2000; 320 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.320.7228.140/f (Published 15 January 2000) Cite this as: BMJ 2000;320:140
  1. Christopher Zinn
  1. Sydney

    A quarter of Australia's 1100 radiologists could face prosecution after a report found that they used their insider knowledge of certain upcoming Budget changes to make huge financial gains. The largest medical fraud investigation for 25 years showed that radiologists bought scanners with the secret knowledge that they would be able to claim large rebates on all scans done on Medicare patients after May 1998.

    The specialists have been accused of forging dates on contracts for magnetic resonance imaging machines to qualify for the lucrative rebates, because the rebates were only payable on scans done on machines bought before the May, 1998, budget. Others scrambled to buy machines before that date, as soon as they learnt of …

    View Full Text

    Log in

    Log in through your institution

    Subscribe

    * For online subscription