ALBANY – A Kinderhook podiatrist was sentenced in Albany federal court on Friday to one year of probation, 50 hours of community service and a $5,000 fine for committing health care fraud.
As part of his guilty plea, Perrin Edwards admitted that he operated a podiatry practice with offices in Hudson and Albany and submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and private insurance companies for podiatric medical services that he had not performed or that he knew would not be covered by insurance.
Edwards admitted that he performed routine foot care services that were not covered by insurers, and falsely represented that nail debridement services were performed for some patients. Nail debridement is the process of removing death and diseased portions of a toenail to significantly reduce its thickness and length, with the aim of allowing the patient to move around without pain.
Edwards also submitted claims to insurers for the trimming of normal toenails for patients he knew did not suffer from any systemic condition such that Medicare or other insurers would cover his services.
In connection with a related false claims act civil settlement, Edward has paid $410,000 to the US Government and admitted that he submitted false claims for payment to Medicare.
