Former Doctor Pleads Guilty in UR Fraud Case

A former orthopedic surgeon pleaded guilty to fraud charges in connection with a scheme in which he stole the identity of a licensed physician and received more than $876,000 in payments for utilization reviews, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced. Spyros Panos, 52, pleaded guilty Thursday to wire fraud, health care fraud and aggravated identity theft. In connection with the plea, Panos agreed to forfeit the $876,389.97 he was paid for reviewing requests to authorize treatments for injured workers. He also agreed to pay restitution in the same amount, prosecu...