No prison time for Joplin doctor who committed Medicare fraud involving controlled substances

A Joplin doctor who pleaded guilty May 5 to health care fraud and illegal acts involving controlled substances will not spend any time in prison.

During a sentencing hearing today in U. S. District Court in Springfield, Iftikhar Ali, 52, was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay $19,261.74 in restitution.

Ali, who worked in private practice at 2215 E. 32nd from 2009 to 2019 and at 2613 S. Main since April 2019 defrauded Medicare by allowing his employees, including receptionists, fill prescriptions for controlled substances when he was not in the office, including instances where he was not even in the country.

"Ali signed prescriptions for controlled substances before he went on trips and signed blank prescriptions for his employees to use in his absence. The employees then signed paperwork indicating to Medicare that Ali had provided the services."

The example provided by the government involved a patient who received a prescription for hydrocodone at a time when Ali was not in the office.