A Florida doctor falsely diagnosed patients with cancer for profit and now he’s paying the price.
Dr. Gary Marder has agreed to pay the government millions of dollars after charging patients on Medicare who were not sick, WPTV reported.
Marder, a physician in Port St. Lucie, Florida, would wrongfully diagnose patients with skin cancer and recommend they undergo radiation treatment, according to federal prosecutors.
He was caught when one patient went to another doctor for a second opinion.
Gloria Strumalo had undergone two hours of radiation treatment for 20 days, unaware that she did not have cancer. It was not until she opted for a surgery that gave her an infection that she went to another doctor.
The second doctor, Dr. Ted Schiff, then contacted authorities about Marder.
“In all my years in the medical field I’ve never seen anything like this,” Schiff told WPTV. “As doctors we take an oath to do no harm.”
Federal prosecutors estimate that Marder pocketed millions. Under his agreement, the dermatologist will have to pay $5.2 million before Feb. 24 to satisfy the $18 million agreement. If he skips the deadline, he will owe $41 million, the Palm Beach Post reported.
According to WPTV, Marder’s medical license was still active on Thursday.
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