Doctor charged with kickback scheme
A Brookline doctor renowned for his work with addiction medicine was charged yesterday with defrauding taxpayers of $500,000 in fraudulent medical care payments.
Dr. Punyamurtula Kishore, 61, pleaded not guilty to conducting an “intricate Medicaid fraud kickback scheme,” according to the attorney general.
Kishore allegedly had various sober homes send patients to his labs to perform drug screens of Medicaid-eligible residents. Officials continue to investigate whether all of those tests were medically necessary.
As the owner and manager of Preventive Medicine Associates, Kishore ran a network of nearly 30 medical branches throughout the state, some of which he recently began shutting down, authorities alleged.
Kishore’s lawyer told the Globe the doctor is married with grown children and was a well-regarded member of the community and denies the allegations.
Officials continue to examine the millions of dollars he received from the state for the testing over his career.
